3 


c 


OBSERVATIONS 


UPON 


THE  PELOPONNESUS 


AND 


GREEK  ISLANDS, 


MADE  IN  1829. 


BY  RUFUS  ANDERSON, 

One  of  the  Secretaries  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED  BY  CROCKER  AND  BREWSTER, 
47,  Washington  Street. 

NEW-YORK:  JONATHAN  LEAVITT, 

182,  Broadway. 

1830. 


DISTRICT  OF  MASSACHUSETTS,  to  wit: 
District  Clerk’s  Office. 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  that  on  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  November,  A.  D. 
1830,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
Crocker  & Brewster,  of  the  said  District,  have  deposited  in  this  office  the 
title  of  a book,  the  right  whereof  they  claim  as  Proprietors,  in  the  words 
following,  to  wit: 

“Observations  upon  the  Peloponnesus  and  Greek  Islands,  made  in  1829. 
By  Rufus  Anderson,  One  of  the  Secretaries  of  the  American  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners for  Foreign  Missions.” 

In  Conformity  to  the  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled, 
“An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps, 
charts  and  books,  to  the  Authors  and  Proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  - 
times  therein  mentioned-,”  and  also  to  an  act,  entitled,  “An  act  supplement- 
ary to  an  act,  intitled,  An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing 
the  copies  of  maps,  charts  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such 
copies  during  the  times  therein  mentioned;  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof 
to  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  historical,  and  other  prints.” 

JOHN  W.  DAVIS, 

Clerk  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


TO  THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  PRUDENTIAL  COMMIT- 
TEE OF  THE  AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSION- 
ERS FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

Gentlemen, 

The  greater  part  of  the  observations  here 
embodied  were  made  in  pursuance  of  Instruc- 
tions received  from  you,  and  have  never  before 
been  communicated  in  a digested  form;  and 
as  this  volume  is  prepared  in  obedience  to  your 
order,  there  seems  to  be  an  evident  propriety 
in  addressing  it  to  you. 

The  work  is  designed  to  embrace  such  facts 
within  my  knowledge,  relating  to  the  principal 
objects  of  my  inquiries,  as  I supposed  would 
be  acceptable  to  the  public.  It  is  a selection 
of  facts  from  a much  greater  number,  ob- 
tained by  Mr.  Smith  and  myself. 

There  is  another  class  of  observations,  of  a 
nature  to  be  interesting  to  the  Directors  of 
missions,  rather  than  to  the  community  at 
large.  Most  of  these  I have  laid  before  you 


IV 


DEDICATION. 


already,  and  the  others  are  at  your  command 
whenever  you  shall  require  them. 

I am  sensible,  that  this  work  must  have 
defects.  The  necessary  documents  were 
not  all  in  my  possession,  for  several  months 
after  my  return  from  the  Mediterranean; 
and,  since  they  have  been,  numerous  in- 
terruptions, occasioned  by  the  ordinary  duties 
of  my  office,  have,  as  you  well  know,  been  un- 
avoidable. I have  to  regret,  also,  as  many  of 
my  readers  probably  will,  that  your  many  avo- 
cations have  prevented  most  of  my  pages  from 
receiving  the  benefit  of  your  revision. 

I can  truly  say,  that  I have  aimed,  through- 
out, at  perfect  accuracy  in  my  statements;  and, 
as  I have  not  been  remiss  in  exertions  to  ren- 
der my  work  worthy  of  perusal,  I submit  it 
cheerfully  to  your  kind  patronage,  and  also  to 
that  of  the  many  friends  of  the  cause,  in 
which  we  have  the  happiness  to  be  engaged. 

I am,  Gentlemen,  with  great  affection  and 
respect,  your  friend  and  servant. 

R.  ANDERSON. 


Missionary  Rooms , 

Boston , November  1830. 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION. — Reasons  for  a special  agency  to  the  Mediterranean — 
Embarkation — Sight  of  Europe  and  Africa — Contrast  between  the  present 
and  former  religious  condition  of  northern  Africa — Remarks  upon  the 
Mediterranean  and  its  coasts — Arrival  at  Malta — Quarantine — Intercourse 
with  missionaries  and  others — St.  Paul’s  Bay — Churches  and  palaces — 
Malta  as  a missionary  station — Embark,  with  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  for  Greece 
— Objects  of  the  tour  in  Greece — Political  geography  of  the  country — Route 
pursued — Plan  of  this  work — Agency  of  Mr.  Smith  in  it — Geographical 
nomenclature — The  author  desirous  of  subserving  the  interests  of  the 
Greek  people — Has  no  pecuniary  interest  in  the  sale  of  this  volume,  21 


PART  FIRST. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  TOUR:  including  observations  upon 

THE  MORE  INTERESTING  LOCALITIES  AND  SCENERY}  UPON  THE 
SOIL,  AGRICULTURE,  AND  PRODUCTIONS}  THE  EFFECTS  OF  WAR 
ON  THE  TOWNS,  VILLAGES,  AND  PLANTATIONS}  AND  THE  MAN- 
NERS AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  INHABITANTS. 


THE  PELOPONNESUS. 


Chapter  I.— Enter  the  province  of  Elis— Clarentsa— Chloumoutsi  cas- 
tle— Plain  of  Elis— Manner  of  travelling— Roads — From  Clarentsi  to  Ali 
Chelebi — A khan — Enter  the  province  of  Achaia — Pastoral  life — Palaeo- 
Achaia — Church  of  St.  Andrew — Patras — Profanation  of  the  Sabbath — 
From  Patras  to  Bostitsa — Scene  of  wretchedness — Hospitable  reception — 
Domestic  employments — Bostitsa — Ancient  republic  of  Achaia — From 
Bostitsa  to  Xilocastron — Remarks  on  the  plains  alongthe  northern  coast — 
Unexpected  meeting — Enter  the  province  of  Argolis — Plain  of  Corinth — 
Arrival  at  the  city,  -------  37' 


Chapter  II. — Province  of  Argoli3  continued— Present  condition  of  Co- 
rinth— Apostolical  labors  and  Christian  church  in  Corinth— Acrocorinthus, 
and  the  prospect  from  thence— Sicyon— Propensity  of  the  Greeks  to  mul- 
tiply churches— Ride  to  the  Nemean  plain— Customs  on  Easter  Sunday— 
Isthmus  of  Corinth— American  colony— Cenchrea— Isthmian  town  and 
wall— Hermione— Cranidi— Plain  of  Troezen— Commence  our  principal 
tour  in  the  Peloponnesus— Epidaurus— Grove  of  Aesculapius— Ligurion — 
Plain  of  Argos— Nauplion — Tiryns — Mycenae — The  harvest  season — Argos 
— Funeral  and  marriage  processions — Fountain  of  Erasinus — Marsh  of 
Lema — Cross  mount  Parthenium  into  the  province  of  Arcadia. 

*1 


54 


VI 


CONTENTS, 


Chapter  III. — Province  of  Arcadia — First  appearance  of  Arcadia — A 
Grecian  lady — Plain  of  Tegea — Tripolitsa — Gipsies — School — Route  to 
Calabryta — Plain  of  Mantinea — Subterranean  passages  for  water — Plain 
of  Orchomenus — Plain  of  Dara — Branch  of  the  Ladon — Beautiful  glen — 
Another  branch  of  the  Ladon  and  charming  plain — Elevated  sites  of  vil- 
lages— Romantic  dell — Plain  of  Oatsanes — Manner  of  ploughing  and  irri- 
gating the  ground  and  cultivating  Indian  corn — Ascend  to  the  plain  of 
Soudena — Southern  limits  of  the  modern  Achaia — One  of  the  capitani — 
Influence  of  elevation  on  climate — Magnificent  scene — Calabryta — Route 
to  the  Convent  of  Megaspelseon — Description  of  the  convent  with  its  re- 
cent history — Plains  on  the  river  of  Calabryta — Extent  of  arable  ground — 
Ascent  of  mount  Erymanthus — Valley  of  the  Erymanthus — Psophis — Enter 
Elis  again — Dibris — New  aspect  of  the  country,  - - - 78 


Chapter  IV. — Province  of  Elis  continued — Productions  of  the  plains — 

Lala — Douca — Plain  of  Olympia — Valley  of  the  Alpheus — Re-enter  the 
province  of  Arcadia — Rivers  Erymanthus  and  Liadon — District  of  Liodo- 
ras — Albanian  villages — Langadia — “Heap  of  cursing” — River  Gortynius 
— Reception  at  Demetsana — School — Description  of  the  place — Religious 
customs — Conversation  with  a school-master — On  making  the  Scriptures 
our  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice — The  Oeconomos  of  Demetsana — Mule- 
teers— Costume — Food  of  the  peasantry — Striking  scenery  on  the  road  to 
Caryteena — Carytaena — Theodore  Colocotrones — Mount  Lycaeus  and  fine 
views — Andritsana  and  its  school — Another  heap  of  cursing — Situation  at 
night — Temple  of  Apollo  Epicurius — River  Neda — Enter  the  province  of 
Upper  Messenia — Comparative  interest  of  this  province — Custom  in  re- 
lation to  the  dead — New  range  of  mountains — Convenience  of  a tent — 
Scripture  imagery  from  pastoral  life — District  and  town  of  Arkadia — Road 
to  Navarino — Philiatra — Reflections  on  the  battle  of  Navarino — Navarino 
— Mothone — Corone,  -------  100 

Chapter  V. — Province  of  Lower  Messenia — Arable  ground  bordering  on 
the  gulf— Nisi — River  Pamisus  and  its  plain — Mane — Calamata — Villages 
and  fruit  trees  on  the  east  side  of  the  valley  of  Messenia — Fountain  of  the 
Pamisus — Messene — Plain  of  Stenyclerus — Defile  of  Derbenia — Again  en- 
ter Arcadia — Delightful  change  of  air — Leontari — Plain  of  Megalopolis 
and  other  objects  seen  from  the  castle  of  Leontari — Enter  the  province  of 
Laconia — Sabbath  at  the  Fountain  of  the  Eurotas — Villages  and  cultivated 
plain — Manner  of  treating  the  mulberry  trees  and  silkworm — Superstition 
of  the  evil  eye — Laconian  rose — Plain  of  Sparta — Splendid  scenery  around 
Mistras — Mistras — Greek  antipathy  against  the  Jews — Lacedaemon — View 
from  the  castle  of  Mistras — Produce  of  the  plain— Sparta — Sclabo  Chori — 
Middle  regions  of  the  Taygetus — District  of  Bardounia — Marathonesi — 
Population  and  products  of  Mane — Helos — Cross  the  Malaic  peninsula — 
Monembasia — End  of  the  tour  and  remarks  upon  it — Extent  of  the  desola- 
tions occasioned  by  the  war— Extent  of  Agriculture — Trees  and  shrubs — 
Wild  animals,  - -----  123 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  AEGEAN. 


Chapter  VI. — Western  Sporades — Hydra — Appearance  of  the  town — 
Census — History  of  the  island — Commerce  and  maritime  power — Inter- 
course with  the  people — Spetsi t — Reception — Recent  history — Principal 
causes  of  safety  to  the  traveller  in  Greece — Remarks  on  the  system  of  pass- 
ports— Porus — Burying  ground — View  of  the  island  and  town — Women — 
Visit  to  the  temple  of  Neptune — Monastery — JEgina — May-day — Temple 
of  Jupiter  Panhellenius — Refugees — Description  of  the  town  and  island — 
Grecian  society — A monk  requests  that  his  epitome  of  the  Gospels  may  be 
re-printed — Northern  Cyclades — General  aspect  of  the  islands — Syra — 
Roman  Catholic  town — Hermoupolis — Tenos — St.  Nicholas — Marriage  of 
Mr.  King — Governor  of  the  N.  Cyclades — Church  of  the  Evangelista — 
Andros — Myconos — Delos — Return  to  Syra — Desolation  and  neglect  that 
have  befallen  the  more  sacred  places  of  ancient  Greece — Scio — Voyage  to 
Smyrna — Return  to  Malta,  ------  143 


CONTENTS 


VU 


IONIAN  ISLANDS . 


Chapter  VII.— Voyage  from  Malta  to  the  island  of  Corfu — Introduction  to 
the  Ionian  Islands — Magnificent  scenery  of  Epirus — Position  and  history 
of  the  Ionian  Islands — Population  of  the  islands — City  of  Corfu — Ancient 
temple — Excursion  into  the  interior,  with  remarks  upon  the  island — “Ship 
Ulysses” — Mount  Ceraunia — Hoads — Cultivation  of  the  olive,  and  the 
moral  consequences  of  this — Complexity  in  the  rights  of  property — Pro- 
fessor Bambas — Preaching  of  Typaldos — Christian  idolatry — Priesthood — 
Churches — Support  of  the  clergy — Religious  character  of  the  people — Influ- 
ence of  Venetian  policy — Toleration  granted  by  the  present  Constitution 
— Connection  between  church  and  state — Bishops — Papal  Greeks — Jews — 
Printing  establishment — Versions  of  the  Scriptures — Restrictions  on  the 
press — Masquerades— Obtain  an  interpreter  for  the  tour,  - - 166 

Chapter  VIII. — From  Corfu  to  Santa  Maura — Historical  associations — Isl- 
and of  Paxo — Island  of  Santa  Maura — Amaxichi — Remarks  upon  the 
island — Cefalonia — Argostoli — Lixuri — Ruins  of  Cranium — Convent  of  St. 
Andrew  and  female  boarding  school — Cross  the  island — Pilaro — Samos — 
Remarks  upon  the  island  and  its  inhabitants— Treatment  received  from  the 
Greek  clergy  of  Argostoli  and  cause  of  it — Intercourse  with  laymen — Isl- 
and of  Ithaca — Physical  character — Bathi — Fountain  of  Arethusa — Social 
intercourse — Bishop  of  Ithaca — Castle  of  Ulysses — Detention — Police  regu- 
lations— Chief  occupation  of  the  Ithacians — Island  of  Zante — City — Condi- 
tion of  females — Remarks  upon  the  island,  - 185 


PART  SECOND. 

CONTAINING  OBSERVATIONS  UPON  THE  TERRITORY,  POPULATION, 
AND  GOVERNMENT  OF  GREECE}  UPON  THE  STATE  AND  PROSPECTS 
OF  EDUCATION}  UPON  THE  GREEK  CHURCH}  AND  UPON  THE 
MEASURES  TO  BE  PURSUED  BY  PROTESTANTS  FOR  THE  BENEFIT 
OF  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

TERRITORY,  P OP  ULATION,  AND  GOVERN- 
MENT OF  GREECE. 


Chapter  I. — Territory , according  to  the  Protocol  of  Feb.  3,  1830 — Popula- 
tion— Peloponnesus  compared  with  the  state  of  Massachusetts — Its  ancient 
inhabitants  never  as  many  as  might  have  been  sustained  by  the  products 
of  the  soil — A much  greater  number  may  be  sustained  now,  than  could 
have  been  in  ancient  times — Government — Manner  of  its  first  organiza- 
tion under  the  Presidency  of  Capo  d’Istrias — Particular  acts — Mode  of  col- 
lecting the  tithes — Demogerontes  and  Extraordinary  Commissioners — 
Judiciary — Proceedings  in  relation  to  the  fourth  national  congress — Con- 
templated revision  of  the  Constitution,  -----  199 


STATE  AND  PROSPECTS  OF  EDUCATION. 


Chapter  II. — State  of  education  in  the  last  century — Means  of  instruction 
enjoyed  by  the  Greeks  previous  to  the  revolution — Resort  to  foreign  uni- 
versities— Heroic  patriotism  of  five  hundred  educated  Greeks — Activity  of 
the  Grecian  mind— Few  books  yet  in  Greece—  Public  spirit  of  the  Zosi- 


viii 


CONTENTS, 


mades — Elementary  education  quite  overlooked  before  the  revolution— 
Great  interestbeginning  to  be  taken  in  it — Views,  plans,  and  proceedings 
of  the  Greek  government,  ______  211 

Chapter  III. — Feeling  among  the  people  at  large  on  the  subject  of  educa- 
tion— Subscriptions  in  towns  and  villages  for  free-schools — Contributions 
made  by  convents — Individual  munificence — Rise  of  the  female  school  at 
Syra — Letter  from  a Greek  female — “American  School”  at  Syra— Sabbath 
school  at  Syra — Orphan  school  at  ASgina — Schools  at  Nauplion,  Argos, 
Tripolitsa  and  Demetsana — Scarcity  of  elementary  books — In  what  man- 
ner a supply  is  to  be  furnished — What  books  would  be  acceptable — Vast 
importance  of  this  branch  of  benevolent  effort — Printing  presses — On  the 
establishment  of  schools — System  of  instruction  in  the  Ionian  Islands — 
Preliminary  observations — Elementary  schools — Classical  schools — Uni- 
versity— Theological  Seminary — General  remarks,  - 225 


THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 


Chapter  IV. — Considerations  imparting  an  interest  to  the  Greek  church — 
Ancient  churches  of  Corinth  and  Athens — Seminary  at  Athens — Bishoprics 
in  Greece  in  the  fourth  century — View  of  the  decline  of  the  Greek  church , 
and  of  the  introduction  of  some  of  its  more  remarkable  usages — G ospel  con- 
taminated by  false  philosophy — Progress  towards  a splendid  ritual — Regen- 
eration believed  to  result  from  baptism — Origin  of  the  prejudice  against 
marriage — Rise  of  monachisin — Christianity  becomes  the  religion  of  the 
Roman  empire — Multiplication  of  churches — Rise  of  picture  and  image 
worship — Invocation  of  departed  saints — Private  confession — Pilgrimages, 
etc. — Origin  of  masses — Festivals — The  church  oppressed  with  rites  and 
ceremonies — General  councils — Idolatry  at  its  height — Controversy  on  the 
subject — Councils — Triumph  of  idolatry — Controversy  respecting  the  pro- 
cession of  the  Holy  Ghost — Greek  fondness  for  controversy — Ignorance 
of  the  Scriptures — Vain  effort  to  unite  the  eastern  and  western  churches — 

Fall  of  Constantinople — Attempts  of  the  Roman  pontiff’  to  subject  the 
Greek  church  to  his  authority — Correspondence  between  the  German  re- 
formers and  the  Greek  patriarch — The  patriarch  Cyril  Lucaris — His  opin- 
ions anathematized — Doctrine  of  transubstantiation  adopted  by  the  Greek 
church — Reflections,  -------  259 


Chapter  V. — Present  condition  of  the  Greek  Church. — Its  extent — Its  four 
patriarchates— Different  orders  of  the  clergy — Their  revenue — Doctrines 
of  the  church — The  seven  mysteries,  or  sacraments — Fasts  and  feasts — 
Excommunication — Churches— Public  worship— Public  worship  performed 
throughout  the  east  in  an  unknown  tongue— Colony  of  priests  at  Mount 
Athos,  - - - - - - - 283 


Chapter  VI. — General  remarks  upon  that  part  of  the  Greek  church,  which 
exists  in  liberated  Greece — Ignorance  and  superstition  of  the  people — Rea- 
sons for  anticipating  a reform— Missionary  operations— Remarks  upon 
the  meaures  to  be  pursued  by  Protestants  for  the  benefit  of  oriental 
churches,  ________  301 

APPENDIX. — Names  of  places  in  Greece— Bearings  of  remarkable  places 
and  objects— Agricultural  farm  on  the  plain  of  Argos— Greek  newspapers 
— Itinerary  in  the  Peloponnesus,  _____  323 


INTRODUCTION 


Reasons  for  a special  agency  to  the  Mediterranean — Embarkation— Sight  of 
Europe  and  Africa — Contrast  between  the  present  and  former  religious  con- 
dition of  northern  Africa — Remarks  upon  the  Mediterranean  and  its  coasts — 
Arrival  at  Malta — Quarantine — Intercourse  with  the  missionaries  and  others 
— St.  Paul’s  Bay — Churches  and  palaces — Malta  as  a missionary  station — 
Embark,  with  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  for  Greece — Objects  of  the  tour  in  Greece — 
Political  geography  of  the  country — Route  pursued — Plan  of  this  work— 
Agency  of  Mr.  Smith  in  it — Geographical  nomenclature — The  author  desir- 
ous of  subserving  the  interests  of  the  Greek  people — Has  no  pecuniary  inter- 
est in  the  sale  of  this  volume. 


Two  general  reasons  induced  the  Prudential  jCom- 
mittee  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  ittlaSr  to  ci 

opeokth  a genifc^ to  the  Mediterranean.  (1.)  The  mis- 
sionaries to  Syria,  being  driven  from  their  station  by 
the  political  disturbances  which  agitated  the  Turkish 
empire,  were  in  the  island  of  Malta,  and  the  Commit- 
tee were  anxious  to  confer  with  them  in  relation  to  fu- 
ture operations  in  the  east.  (2.)  The  Committee  were 
desirous  to  know,  more  satisfactorily  than  they  had  the 
means  of  knowing,  precisely  what  kind  of  efforts  in 
behalf  of  liberated  Greece  were  incumbent^n  the 
Board.a 

With  these  objects  in  view,  I embarked  at  Boston, 
on  the  28th  of  November  1828,  for  Malta.  The 
passage  dcrOss  the  Atlantic  was  boisterous,  but  the 
wind  was  generally  fair,  and  in  a little  more  than  twenty 
days  I saw  the  mountains  of  Europe  and  Africa. 

These  were  a welcome  sight,  after  the  eye  had  become 
wearied  wTith  the  interminable  level  of  the  ocean. 


(a)  For  a more  ample  statement  of  the  reasons  for  this  agency,  see 
Missionary  Herald,  vol.  xxiv.  p.  394. 


22 


VOYAGE. 


Those  of  Africa  were  connected  with  the  great  Atlan- 
tean  range. 

No  Christian  can  gaze  long  upon  Africa,  without 
painful  emotions.  To  think  how  near  I was  to  the  do- 
minions of  the  False  Prophet — to  think  of  the  vast 
extent  of  those  dominions — of  the  deep  moral  and  in- 
tellectual darkness  that  covers  them — and  how  faint  the 
prospect  is  of  a speedy  and  desirable  change, — was 
enough  to  make  one  turn  away  with  sickness  of  heart. 
Yet  on  turning  towards  Spain,  the  prospect  was  not 
much  more  cheering,  for  a spiritual  gloom  hung  over 
that  country,  as  dismal,  almost,  as  when  it  was  occu- 
pied by  the  Moors. 

How  glorious,  comparatively,  was  the  state  of  North- 
ern Africa  in  the  age  of  the  great  Augustine!  The 
light  of  the  gospel  then  shone  upon  an  extent  of  country 
stretching  more  than  two  thousand  miles  from  the  Atlan- 
tic eastward,  and  from  the  Mediterranean  two  hundred, 
and  even  five  hundred  miles  into  the  interior.  Within 
this  space  were  more  than  four  hundred  and  fifty 
bishoprics,  each  of  which  might  embrace  threescore  or 
fourscore  towns  and  villages;1*  and  if  each  town  and 
village  contained  its  church,  which  is  probable,  there 
were  more  than  thirty  thousand  Christian  churches  in 
northern  Africa.  But  these  lights  have  all  been  ex- 
tinguished, and  with  them  the  lights  of  science,  civiliza- 
tion, and  liberty. 

Having  entered  the  Mediterranean,  we  inclined  to 
the  northern  shore,  and  sailed  along  the  coast  of  Spain. 
Mountains  rose  before  us  all  the  first  day.  The  snowy 
top  of  Sierra  Niva  da,  the  highest  in  Spain,  became 
visible  before  noon,  resembling  a white  cloud.  At  the 
setting  of  the  sun  it  was  comparatively  near,  and  the 
summit  was  adorned  with  the  most  brilliant  colors. 
Broad  streams  of  light  descended  on  the  ridges,  diverg- 
ing from  the  top,  and  finely  contrasted  with  the  deep 
shades  of  the  ravines. 


(b)  Bingham’s  Antiquities  of  the  Christian  Church,  vol.  iii.  p.  351. 


ARRIVAL  AT  MALTA. 


23 


The  next  day  we  stood  over  towards  Africa,  and 
should  have  seen  it,  had  the  southern  atmosphere  been 
clear;  yet  the  mountains  of  Spain  continued  visible. 
Indeed  this  sea,  for  nearly  two  hundred  miles  eastward 
of  Gibraltar,  does  not  exceed  thirty  leagues  in  width, 
so  that  the  Carthagenian  sailor  did  not  here  lose  sight 
of  land  in  fair  weather,  and  could  dispense  the  better 
with  the  compass  and  quadrant.  I may  add,  that  a 
vessel  sails  nearly  five  hundred  miles  eastward  of 
Gibraltar,  without  being  more  than  thirty-five  leagues 
from  elevated  land.  Still  further  east,  we  had  a view 
of  Africa  and  Sardinia,  at  the  same  time.  Sicily  must 
be  visible  from  Cape  Bon,  the  lofty  promontory  at  the 
entrance  of  the  gulf  of  Carthage;  and  when  only  a 
few  miles  beyond  that  cape,  we  distinctly  saw  the  island 
of  Pantellaria,  full  thirty  leagues  in  the  direction  of 
Malta.  Sicily  may  be  seen  from  Malta.  Mount  JEtna 
is  a conspicuous  object  far  off  at  sea;  and  in  southern 
Italy,  in  continental  Greece,  in  the  Peloponnesus,  in 
Candia  and  other  islands  of  the  Archipelago,  in  Asia 
Minor,  and  in  Syria,  there  are  lofty  heights,  raised  as  if 
for  a guide  to  the  mariner.  While  contemplating  the  rug- 
ged profile  which  almost  every  coast  presented,  it  was 
pleasing  to  think  how  many  beacons  the  merciful  Creator 
had  erected  around  these  shores,  and  of  the  aid  they 
had  rendered  to  the  many  generations  of  sailors,  who 
were  obliged  to  grope  their  way  in  the  deep,  without 
the  improvements  that  facilitate  modern  navigation. 

Our  voyage  up  the  Mediterranean  was  not  distin- 
guished by  anything  remarkable.  The  distance  from 
Gibraltar  to  Malta  is  about  a thousand  miles,  and  the 
whole  distance  from  Boston  to  Malta  may  not  be  far 
from  four  thousand.  On  the  first  day  of  the  year  1829, 
we  took  on  board  a dark-looking  Maltese  pilot,  and  at 
two  P.  M.  were  safely  anchored  in  the  quarantine  har- 
bor of  Valetta,  the  principal  port  of  Malta.  We  were 
subjected  to  a quarantine  of  seven  days.  The  health 
officer  handed  us  printed  regulations  for  the  quaran- 
tine on  the  end  of  a long  stick,  to  avoid  contagion. 


24 


INTERCOURSE  WITH  MISSIONARIES. 


and  the  letters  we  brought  were  fumigated  in  sulphur, 
before  any  person  was  permitted  to  touch  them.  Wher- 
ever we  went  we  were  accompanied  by  a guard,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  see  that  we  touched  no  one,  and  that  no 
one  touched  us. 

The  day  after  our  arrival,  I removed  to  the  Lazar- 
etto,6 and  occupied  an  apartment  looking  out  on  the 
lofty  battlements  of  Valetta.  The  seclusion  here  is 
not  entire.  In  ordinary  cases  the  inmates  are  allowed 
to  converse  with  each  other  wherever  they  chance 
to  meet,  remembering  only  to  preserve  the  proper 
distance.  But  the  intercourse  with  all  persons  not  in 
quarantine,  must  be  in  the  parlatorio , or  place  for 
conversation,  where  barriers  are  interposed  to  pre- 
vent a near  approach  of  the  parties.  There  I saw 
my  brethren  of  the  mission,  Messrs.  Bird,  Goodell, 
Smith,  and  Hallock,  and  nearly  all  the  members  of 
their  respective  families;  and  either  while  in  the  Laz- 
aretto, or  soon  after,  I became  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Schlienz,  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  and  his 
two  assistants;  with  Mr.  Wilson,  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society;  with  Mr.  Keeling,  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Society;  and  with  Mr.  Nicolayson,  of  the 
London  Jews  Society.  Mr.  Schlienz  is  from  the  Basle 
Missionary  Seminary,  and  is  the  associate  of  Mr.  Jowett, 
(then  in  England,)  the  well-known  author  of  two  inter- 
esting volumes  of  Christian  Researches  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, of  which  one  has  been  republished  in  this 
country.d  Mr.  Nicolayson  was  a missionary  to  the 
Jews  in  Syria,  and  left  that  country,  with  Mrs.  Nico- 
layson, at  the  same  time  with  our  brethren,  and  for  the 
same  reasons.  Mr.  Wilson  and  Mr.  Keeling  have  been 
in  Malta  some  years. — Mr.  Abbott,  the  English  consul 


(c)  A Lazaretto  is  an  edifice  appointed  for  the  temporary  residence 
of  persons,  and  also  for  the  reception  and  purification  of  certain  articles, 
coming  from  places  suspected  of  the  plague,  or  of  other  contagious  dis- 
eases. One  of  the  great  objects  of  the  philanthropic  Howard,  was  to  as- 
certain and  improve  the  condition  of  these  institutions. 

(d)  Christian  Researches  in  Syria  and  the  Holy  Land. 


REMARKS  UPON  THE  ISLAND. 


25 


for  Beyroot,  was  at  that  time  in  Malta,  and,  with  his 
excellent  lady,  continued  those  attentions,  which,  under 
more  trying  circumstances,  had  contributed  so  much 
to  the  happiness  of  our  missionaries  in  Syria.e  I 
am  bound  to  acknowledge,  also,  my  obligations  to 
Thomas  McGill,  Esq.,  an  English  gentleman  holding 
the  office  of  Greek  consul  at  Malta,  who,  besides  giving 
me  valuable  information,  furnished  my  companion  and 
myself  with  letters,  which  were  of  much  use  to  us  in 
Greece. 

I remained  at  Malta  till  the  25th  of  February.  The 
results  of  my  intercourse  with  the  missionaries  of  the 
Board  and  of  other  societies,  will  not  be  here  related — - 
except  so  far  as  to  say,  that  nearly  all  the  measures, 
which  have  been  adopted  by  the  Prudential  Committee 
since  my  return,  with  regard  to  the  Mediterranean  mis- 
sion, were  then  discussed,  and  received  the  full  sanction 
of  our  brethren/ 

Malta  has  been  so  often  described,  within  a few  years 
past,  that  I omit  nearly  all  the  notices  respecting  that 
island,  which  I had  entered  in  my  journal.  Of  course, 
I became  familiar  with  the  city  and  suburbs  of  Valetta; 
and  I once  made  an  excursion  to  the  bay,  where  the 
apostle  Paul  is  supposed  to  have  suffered  shipwreck, 
and  also  to  the  archiepiscopal  city  in  its  neighborhood, 
called  Citta  Vecchia. 

The  Bay  of  St.  Paul  is  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Malta, 
about  six  miles  north  of  Valetta,  and  not  far  from  the 
little  island  of  Gozo,  by  some  regarded  as  the  island  of 
Calypso.  How  much  there  is  to  countenance  the  tra- 
dition, that  Paul  was  shipwrecked  in  this  bay,  will  ap- 

(e)  He  has  since  returned  to  Beyroot. 

(f)  The  Rev.  Messrs.  Whiting  and  Dwight  have  been  sent  out  as  a re- 
inforcement of  the  mission.  The  mission  to  Syria  has  been  resumed  by 
Messrs.  Bird  and  Whiting.  Messrs.  Smith  and  Dwight  have  proceeded  on 
an  exploring  tour  into  Armenia.  The  Greek  press  has  been  employed, 
more  vigorously,  in  the  printing  of  school-books;  and  it  has  been  decided, 
with  the  advice  and  concurrence  of  the  missionaries,  to  continue  the 
printing  establishment,  for  the  present,  at  Malta.  That  establishment  is  de- 
signed for  printing  in  various  languages,  and,  under  existing  circum- 
stances, can  operate  more  advantageously  in  that  island,  than  it  can  at 
Smyrna,  or  in  Greece. 

3 


26 


st.  Paul’s  bay. 

pear  in  the  opposite  sketch,  taken  by  Mr.  Bird,  which 
correctly  exhibits  the  topography  of  the  bay.  I have 
added  an  explanation,  which  will  be  found  below. 

The  high  probability  that  here  is  the  scene  of  the 
events  recorded  in  the  close  of  the  twenty-seventh  chap- 
ter of  Acts,  imparted  a peculiar  interest  to  the  shores 
and  waters  of  this  bay.  God  had  assured  the  apostle  of 
life,  and  therefore  the  stormy  wind,  and  boisterous  sea, 
and  dashing  surge  roaring  from  the  rocks,  could  not 
make  him  afraid.  Yet  when  the  morning  broke  out  of 
the  long  tempestuous  night,  with  what  intenseness  must 
he  have  surveyed  the  coast  to  see  where  they  were  to 
land;  and  how  must  his  soul  have  burned  with  gratitude, 
when  he  discovered  the  “creek  with  a shore;”  and  with 
what  overpowering  sensations  must  he  have  found  him- 
self and  his  companions  “escaped  all  safe  to  land.”  I 
would  not  worship  Paul,  as  the  papiot^ooa,  nor  would 
I erect  temples  in  honor  of  him;  but  no  pious  man  can 
stand  and  look  on  this  spot,  and  believe  that  here  trans- 
pired the  events  recorded  on  the  sacred  page  above  re- 
ferred to,  without  some  thrilling  emotions. 

On  our  way  from  Yaletta  to  Citta  Vecchia,  we  trav- 
elled over  a soft,  white  freestone,  covered  with  a thin, 

EXPLANATION  OF  ST.  PAUL’S  BAY  AND  SHIPWRECK. 

The  ship  might  have  anchored  at  a or  at  b.  The  inlet  c has  very  much 
the  appearance  of  a creek,  and  would  lead  us  to  think  that  the  anchorage 
was  at  b.  m is  an  island,  and  two  seas  meet  at  d,  where  the  water  is  too 
shallow  for  such  a vessel  as  Paul  was  in  to  pass  through.  Whether  the 
anchorage  was  at  a or  at  b,  the  ship  might  “fall  into”  this  place,  and  run 
aground.  With  the  Euroclydon , or  northeast  wind,  (the  present  Levanter,) 
she  would  not,  indeed,  be  likely  to  fall  upon  d,  if  the  mariners,  after  get- 
ting under  way  at  b,  steered  for  the  creek  c;  but  they  might  have  manag- 
ed unskilfully,  or  more  probably  the  wind  had  changed  to  the  southeast, 
or  south.  There  is  a “shore,”  or  good  landing  place,  at  e,  and  also  at  g, 
and  on  the  creek  c.  From  the  island  m to  n (where  the  Maltese  pretend 
Publius  had  a country-house,)  is  upwards  of  a mile.  The  rock  at  the 
point  s,  where  are  salt  works,  runs  under  water,  and  some  have  supposed 
the  vessel  struck  on  this  point,  and  that  we  are  to  understand  the  phrase 
“where  two  seas  met,”  as  intended  to  denote  the  meeting  of  the  waves 
from  the  opposite  sides  of  such  a low  projection;  but  at  s,  it  would  now  be 
scarcely  possible,  after  a storm,  to  effect  a general  landing  on  boards  and 
broken  pieces  of  a ship  If  the  vessel  struck  at  d,  it  would  be  possible  to 
land  at  e,  especially  if  the  wind  had  changed  io  the  southward,  as  the  shore 
is  near,  low,  and  sandy,  and  the  water  shallow.  At  g and  c are  also  fine 
landings.  The  shore  at  p is  precipitous,  and  ai  r rough  and  dangerous. 


- 


i t 


% 


CHURCHES  AND  PALACES. 


29 


but  luxuriant  soil,  which  was  supported  on  the  hillsides 
by  terrace-walls  of  stone,  forming  offsets  rising  one 
above  another.  Artificial  levels  are  thus  produced. 
Several  villages  lie  between  the  two  cities,  each  of  which 
has  a large  and  costly  church.  Within  two  miles  of 
Citta  Vecchia,  the  aqueduct,  supplying  Valetta  with  wa- 
ter, rises  suddenly  out  of  the  ground,  and  runs  a con- 
siderable distance  by  the  road  side,  supported  by  some 
hundreds  of  arches.  Citta  Vecchia  stands  on  an  emi- 
nence, in  the  centre  of  the  island,  and  near  the  cele- 
brated labyrinth  of  catacombs.  Here  was  a considera- 
ble town,  called  Melita,  or  Medina,  before  the  knights 
of  Rhodes  took  possession  of  Malta.  Hence  the  name 
of  Citta  Vecchia,  or  the  ancient*  city.  It  is  not  large, 
but  its  situation,  walls,  and  cathedral,  render  it  conspic- 
uous. The  cathedral  is  a sumptuous  edifice,  inferior  in 
magnificence  only  to  the  church  of  St.  John  in  Valetta. 
The  pavement  of  this  latter  church  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  richest  in  the  world.  It  is  composed  entirely  of 
sepulchral  monuments  of  the  finest  marbles,  porphyry, 
lapis  lazuli,  and  other  valuable  stones,  admirably  put 
together,  and  representing,  in  a kind  of  Mosaic,  the  arms 
and  insignia  of  the  persons  they  are  designed  to  com- 
memorate. The  recesses,  or  chapels  as  they  are  called, 
are  adorned  with  bronze  and  sculpture  of  the  finest  de- 
scription; the  arched  roof  is  ornamented  with  paintings; 
and  round  the  church  hung  tapestry,  interesting  in  de- 
sign, and  rich  in  execution. 

Not  far  from  the  old  city  stands  the  palace,  formerly 
occupied  by  the  Grand  Master  of  the  knights — now 
empty,  open  to  the  weather,  and  decaying.  A paved 
way  leads  down  the  hill  to  a garden,  called  Boschetto 
filled  with  orange  trees.  Here  we  dined  in  a grotto, 
covering  a fountain,  and  furnished  with  a table  and  seats 
of  stone.  On  our  way  homeward,  we  visited  another 
garden,  connected  with  the  summer  palace  of  the  pre- 
sent governor.  The  extent  of  this  garden,  the  varied 
play  of  its  fountains,  the  neatness  of  its  walks,  and  the 
number  and  excellence  of  its  fruits,  would  render  it  de- 
*3 


30 


MALTA  AS  A MISSIONARY  STATION. 


serving  of  attention  in  any  part  of  the  world.  This, 
also,  once  belonged  to  the  Grand  Master.  The  palace 
he  occupied  in  Valetta,  is  a vast  pile  surrounding  a 
court,  and  occupying  a whole  square. 

The  memory  of  these  knights  will  long  survive  the 
existence  of  their  order;  for  the  massy  walls  and  castles 
they  erected  around  Valetta,  and  especially  the  deep 
and  wide  ditches  they  cut  many  miles  in  the  solid  rock, 
will  not  soon  be  obliterated  from  the  earth.  The  forti- 
fications are  impregnable,  and  the  ports  which  they  de- 
fend are  admirable  for  depth  and  security.  Whole 
fleets  may  ride  in  them. 

To  the  pious  traveller  Malta  is  specially  interesting, 
from  its  central  position  in  respect  to  so  many  countries 
and  nations,  that  are  to  be  furnished  with  the  light  and 
blessings  of  the  Gospel.  All  the  coasts  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean and  Black  seas  are  within  a few  days  sail  of  this 
island.  The  climate  is  not  unhealthy;  the  government  is 
kind  and  liberal  in  its  protection;  and  few  eastern  coun- 
tries afford  so  many  of  the  comforts  of  life  as  may  here 
be  found.  As  a post  of  observation;  as  the  centre  of  an 
extensive  correspondence;  the  seat  of  an  establishment 
for  the  preparation  and  printing  of  books;  the  resting- 
place  of  missionaries  going  to  more  distant  fields,  or  ex- 
hausted in  health  and  spirits  by  long-continued  labors 
and  privations;  and,  perhaps,  as  the  best  situation  for  a 
school,  in  which  the  children  of  missionaries  may  be 
educated; — Malta  is  unrivalled  in  importance.  Yet 
the  island  itself  is  not  one  of  the  most  promising  fields 
for  evangelical  efforts.  The  population,  amounting  to 
about  one  hundred  thousand  souls,  with  very  few  ex- 
ceptions, is  entirely  under  the  influence  of  the  Romish 
priesthood,  and^holly  given  to  idolatry.’’^ 

It  having  been  decided  that  the  Rev.  Eli  Smith, 
who  has  been  already  mentioned  as  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Board,  should  accompany  me  on  my 
tour,  we  embarked  on  the  25th  of  February  for  Corfu, 

(g)  Mention  is  made  of  the  printing  establishments  in  Malta,  at  pp.  245. 
246. 


OBJECTS  OF  THE  TOUR  IN  GREECE. 


31 


the  most  northern  of  the  Ionian  Islands,  where  we  ar- 
rived on  the  3d  of  March. 

Here  I drop  my  narrative  for  the  present;  and  pro- 
ceed to  some  remarks  upon  the  general  objects  of  our 
tour  in  Greece — the  political  geography  of  the  country 
— the  route  we  pursued — the  plan  of  this  work;  etc. 

I.  The  objects  of  our  tour  in  Greece  were  different 
from  what  most  travellers  have  proposed  to  themselves 
in  visiting  that  country.  They,  with  some  recent  ex- 
ceptions, have  devoted  their  attention  chiefly  to  the  dis- 
covery and  examination  of  the  relics  of  antiquity. 
They  have  copied  the  sculpture  and  architecture,  settled 
the  geography,  and  illustrated  the  writings,  of  ancient 
times;  and,  while  doing  this,  have  gratified  their  taste  with 
the  sight  of  places,  where  happened  some  of  the  most 
wonderful  events  recorded  in  profane  history.  And  when 
we  were  in  the  native  region  of  whatever  is  classical  in 
taste  and  elegaut  in  art — when  in  places  distinguished 
by  the  birth,  the  life,  or  the  death  of  a hero,  or  philoso- 
pher; or  among  the  ruins  of  some  city  renowned  for  its 
refinements,  its  powerful  ambition,  or  fabulous  antiquity; 
or  on  plains  once  gay  with  the  far-famed  tournaments  of 
Grecian  chivalry; — it  must  not  be  denied,  that  we  stop- 
ped to  gaze  a moment,  and  indulge  the  associations  sug- 
gested by  the  occasion.  There,  too,  among  so  many 
wrecks  and  remembrancers  of  ancient  times,  are  moral 
lessons  to  be  impressed  on  the  mind — especially  the  van- 
ity of  man  and  his  works.  All  that  we  saw  in  Greece 
of  the  works  of  ancient  generations,  is  a ruin. — But 
rarely  did  we  go  out  of  our  way,  to  gratify  a classical 
curiosity;  nor  will  the  reader  of  these  pages  expect  to  be 
often  detained  with  descriptions  of  ancient  remains. 
Those  have  been  described,  and  accurately  described, 
so  far  as  we  had  time  and  opportunity  to  observe,  by 
travellers  who  were  more  capable  of  doing  it  than  we 
were,  and  who  thought  it  more  worthy  of  their  time.h 

(h)  The  best  popular  view  of  the  ancient  ruins  of  Greece,  is  given  in 
that  part  of  the  Modern  Traveller,  which  was  republished  in  Boston,  a few 
years  since,  by  Nathan  Hale  Esq.;  with  the  title  of  “History  of  Modern 
Greece”  ^ 

U -ft*. 


32 


OBJECTS  OF  THE  TOUR  IN  GREECE. 


We  felt  it  to  be  our  duty,  however,  as  it  interfered  not 
with  our  main  object,  to  take  some  pains  to  identify 
those  more  important  localities,  which  are  necessary  to 
connect  the  ancient  and  modern  geography  of  Greece; 
such  a^  mountains,  rivers,  plains,  the  sites  of  cities,  and 
the  boundaries  of  states.  This  we  did  by  comparing 
our  own  observations  with  the  descriptions  of  ancient 
geographers,  and  the  conclusions  of  modern  travellers. 

The  vestiges  of  antiquity  were  interesting,  chiefly  as 
they  helped  to  verify  those  places,  which  are  important 
in  geography,  or  renowned  in  history,  and  as  they  ex- 
cited interesting  recollections  and  trains  of  thought.  In 
other  points  of  view,  we  generally  looked  upon  them 
with  some  degree  of  disappointment. 

We  never  forgot,  that  we  were  sent  to  explore  not 
ancient,  but  modern,  Greece,  and  that  our  inquiries  were 
to  be  directed  not  so  much  to  its  natural,  as  to  its  moral 
features.  Yet,  who  could  travel  where  the  Author  of 
nature  has  thrown  into  his  works  so  much  diversified 
beauty  and  grandeur,  and  not  observe  and  admire?  And 
who  would  not  take  some  pains  to  perpetuate  in  his  own 
mind  the  delightful  recollections  of  scenery,  such  as  he 
never  expected  to  behold  again?1  And  it  should  be  re- 
marked, that  nothing  was  properly  irrelevant  to  our  main 
design,  which  tended  to  illustrate  the  geography  and 
resources  of  the  country.  An  attention  to  the  geogra- 
phy of  Greece,  will  be  necessary  to  illustrate  our  other 
observations,  and  a knowledge  of  the  resources  of  the 
country  will  show  what  degree  of  importance  should  be 
attached  to  those  observations.  A nation  cannot  be- 
come great  without  resources  of  some  kind;  and  the 
more  arable  land  it  possesses,  and  the  more  pasturage, 

(i)  It  is  necessary  to  suggest  a caution,  lest  our  representations  of  the 
Arcadian  climate  and  scenery,  in  this  volume,  should  appear  to  be  con- 
tradicted by  those  of  some  respectable  travellers,  who  preceded  us.  The 
season  of  the  year  should  be  particularly  noted.  Had  we  traversed  the 
mountains  and  elevated  plains  of  that  central  province  in  the  chilliness  and 
snow  and  sleet  of  February  and  March,  rather  than  in  the  month  of  June, 
we  might  have  received  a much  less  favorable  impression. 

Our  observations  upon  the  country,  were  almost  invariably  recorded  on 
the  day  they  were  made. 


OBJECTS  OF  THE  TOUR  IN  GREECE. 


33 


and  means  of  irrigation,  and  materials  for  building  and 
trade,  and  the  more  numerous  and  secure  are  its  har- 
bors,— the  greater  are  the  inducements  for  helping  it,  if 
just  commencing  its  career,  to  obtain  the  means  of  moral 
and  religious  cultivation.  All  these  things  go  to  shew 
the  stand  which  such  a people  is  likely  to  take  in  the 
great  community  of  nations.  Facts  of  this  kind,  with 
thinking  men,  are  motives  to  benevolent  exertion — not 
by  any  means  the  most  weighty  that  can  be  urged — but 
such  as  are  too  important  to  be  overlooked.  And  we 
had  occasion,  as  will  be  seen,  to  remark  many  rich 
plains  in  the  Peloponnesus,  each  of  which  once  had 
its  city,  as  Corinth,  Argos  and  Trcezen,  Tegea,  Man- 
tinea,  Megalopolis,  Sparta,  etc. — Nor  should  it  be  for- 
gotten, that  scenery  and  climate  had  much  to  do  in 
forming  the  genius  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  and  that  the 
scenery  and  climate  remain  unchanged — to  work  out 
more  admirable  results,  it  may  be  hoped,  under  the  be- 
nign influence  of  the  Gospel,  and  without  the  fitful,  fe- 
verish excitements  of  rival  states. 

Indeed  we  could  not  avoid  the  conclusion,  that  the 
Greeks  possess  a country,  which  is  sufficient  of  itself  to 
entitle  them  to  consideration.  Its  position,  its  extensive 
sea-coast,  its  numerous  bays  and  harbors,  its  fertile 
plains,  and  its  almost  impregnable  defiles,  render  it  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  and  important  countries,  of  the 
same  extent,  in  the  whole  world. 

We  were  particularly  interested  in  the  agricultural 
prospects  of  the  Peloponnesus,  partly  because  we  had 
so  recently  been  affected  by  the  appeals,  which  rung 
through  the  civilized  world  from  the  starving  population 
of  Greece,  and  partly  because  the  culture  of  the  soil  is 
so  favorable  to  morals.  The  reader  may,  there- 
fore, expect  to  find  us  continually  scanning  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  arable  grounds  on  our  route,  and 
describing  how  far  the  land  is  brought  under  cultivation. 

All  these  objects  were,  of  course,  subordinate  to  our 
main  design,  which  has  been  already  stated — that  of  as- 
certaining the  state  and  prospects  of  religion  and  educa- 


34  POLITICAL  GEOGRAPHY ROUTE  PURSUED. 

tion  among  the  Greek  people,  and  what  can  be  done  to 
help  them  in  their  intellectual  and  moral  regeneration. 

II.  A brief  explanation  of  the  political  geography  of 
that  part  of  Greece,  through  which  we  travelled,  is 
necessary  to  a clear  understanding  of  our  route.  Re- 
ferring to  the  Map,  (the  outline  of  which  is  taken  from 
one  recently  published  by  Lapie,  the  French  geogra- 
pher,) the  reader  will  observe  the  Peloponnesus  divided 
into  seven  provinces.  These  divisions  were  made  by 
the  present  Greek  government;  and  as  they  bear  the 
names  of  the  ancient  states,  so  they  are  designed  to  em- 
brace nearly  the  same  territory.k  The  islands  in  the 
Aegean  sea,  which  are  embraced  by  the  map,  are  nearly 
all  that  belong  to  the  Greek  government,  according  to 
the  last  Protocol.  Euboea  may  be  viewed  in  close  con- 
nection with  continental  Greece.  The  large  group  of 
islands  to  the  southwest,  are  the  Cyclades,  which  are 
divided  into  three  provinces,  or  departments,  called 
Northern,  Central,  and  Southern.  The  islands  which 
lie  in  the  gulf  of  iEgina,  and  round  the  shores  of  the 
Argolic  peninsula,  form  another  province,  called  the 
Western  Sporades.  The  Ionian  Islands,  except  the  lit- 
tle island  of  Paxo,  are  to  be  seen  along  the  southern  and 
western  shores  of  Greece. 

III.  I shall  now  state,  in  few  words,  how  much  of 
this  interesting  country  fell  under  our  observation.  We 
first  visited  five  of  the  Ionian  Islands — Corfu,  Santa 
Maura,  Cefalonia,  Ithaca,  and  Zante.  Then,  crossing 
over  to  the  Peloponnesus,  we  landed  at  Clarentsa,  in 
Elis,  from  whence  we  traversed  the  whole  northern 
coast,  through  Achaia,  to  Corinth.  From  thence  we 
made  excursions  to  the  ancient  Sicyon,  and  to  the  plain 
where  the  Nemean  games  were  celebrated,  towards 
Phlius,  or  St.  George — then  crossed  the  isthmus  of  Co- 
rinth— visited  the  islands  of  iEgina,  Poros,  Hydra,  and 
Spetsas — crossed  the  southern  extremity  of  Argolis — 
travelled  from  Epidaurus  to  Nauplion  and  Argos,  in  the 

(k)  Argolis  extends  to  the  northern  shore  and  embraces  the  isthmus  of 
Corinth;  Achaia  reaches  somewhat  farther  south  than  it  did  in  ancient  times; 
andMessenia  forms  two  provinces. 


ROUTE  PURSUED. 


35 


centre  of  that  province — crossed  the  Parthenian  ridge  to 
Tripolitsa,  in  Arcadia — went  northward,  for  the  most 
part  over  a series  of  narrow,  but  beautiful  and  well  cul- 
tivated plains,  to  Calabryta,  in  Achaia — thence  to  the 
great  convent  of  Megaspelaeon — then,  south-westward, 
across  mount  Erymanthus,  down  to  Lala,  and  the  cele- 
brated Olympia,  in  Elis — then  ascending  the  Alpheus, 
and  again  entering  Arcadia,  we  visited  Demetsana  and 
Carytaena;  and,  crossing  the  Alpheus,  and  traversing  the 
northern  and  western  sides  of  the  Nomian  mountains, 
descended  to  a town  on  the  western  shore,  in  Upper 
Messenia,  called  Arkadia.  We  then  proceeded  south- 
ward, to  Navarino,  and  Mothone — crossed  the  southern 
extremity  of  Upper  Messenia,  to  Corone — and  while 
one  of  us  went  by  water  direct  to  Calamata,  in  Lower 
Messenia,  the  other  took  a circuit  round  the  head  of  the 
gulf.  We  then  ascended  together  on  the  western  side 
of  mount  Taygetus  towards  the  province  of  Arcadia, 
which  we  entered  from  the  south,  across  the  connecting 
ridge  between  Taygetus  and  Lycseus,  and  came  to  Leon- 
tari,  which  commands  a view  of  the  plain  of  Megalopo- 
lis. Then  we  descended  the  vale  of  Sparta,  east  of 
Taygetus,  and  came  to  Mistras,  in  Lacedaemon, 
the  chief  town  in  Laconia.  Continuing  this  southern 
route,  we  visited  Marathonesi,  in  Mane;  and  crossing  the 
gulf  and  the  southern  extremity  of  Laconia,  we  spent 
part  of  a day  on  the  singular  island  of  Monembasia,  from 
whence  we  took  passage  for  the  island  of  iEgina. 

After  remaining  there  a few  days  to  recruit,  we  sailed 
for  the  Cyclades,  and  visited  Syra,  Tenos,  Andros,  My- 
conos,  and  Delos;  then  proceeded  to  Smyrna,  in  Asia 
Minor,  where  we  arrived  in  August.  From  thence  we 
returned  to  Malta. 

Our  observations  were,  therefore,  extended  over  most 
of  the  Ionian  Islands,  and  over  the  Peloponnesus,  the 
Western  Sporades,  and  the  Northern  Cyclades.  Athens 
was  in  possession  of  the  Turks,  and  blockaded  by  the 
Greeks,  and  continental  Greece  generally  was  in  a very 
unsettled  state. 


36 


PLAN  OF  THE  WORK. 


IV.  The  plan  of  this  work  is  sufficiently  explained  by 
the  table  of  contents.  The  reason  for  placing  the  re- 
sults of  our  inquiries  in  the  Ionian  Islands,  after  those 
relating  to  liberated  Greece,  is  stated  at  p.  166:  it  will  be 
recollected,  however,  that  the  Septinsular  Republic  was 
the  first  explored. 

Mr.  Smith  had  an  equal  agency  with  myself  in  col- 
lecting the  materials,  of  which  Part  1st  is  composed, 
together  with  those  of  the  first  three  chapters  of  Part 
2d;  and  I remember,  with  gratitude  and  affection,  the 
kind  and  efficient  aid,  which  I received  from  him  in 
every  period  of  our  tour,  and  after  it  was  completed. 
The  vocabulary  of  names  of  places,  in  the  appendix, 
was  compiled  by  him  from  the  Greek  government  Ga- 
zette. He  also  took  the  bearings  of  places,  which  are 
either  given,  or  referred  to,  in  the  appendix;  and  I 
have  an  itinerary,  taken  from  his  notes,  of  which  I give 
an  abstract. 

The  reader  is  referred  to  the  geographical  nomencla- 
ture in  the  appendix  for  the  rules,  which  have  govern- 
ed our  orthography,  in  respect  to  the  names  of  places  in 
Greece. 

Should  any  of  my  Greek  friends  discover  inaccuracies 
in  this  volume,  I hope  they  will  do  me  the  justice  to  be- 
lieve, that  I have  been  anxious  to  give  as  favorable  a view 
of  their  nation,  as  a regard  for  historical  faithfulness 
would  allow;  and  I shall  esteem  it  a J-ngk  of  favor  to  be 
corrected  in  any  matters,  with  regaM  to  which  I may 
have  erred.  The  strong  desire  of  my  heart  is,  that  this 
volume  may  increase  the  respect,  which  is  felt  by  my 
countrymen  for  the  Greek  people,  and  the  deep  con- 
cern they  have  hitherto  manifested  in  the  prosperity  and 
happiness  of  Greece.  If  it  does,  I shall  be  rewarded 
for  the  labor  it  has  cost  me.  I have  no  pecuniary  inter- 
est in  its  sale.  The  profits  arising  from  thence  will  go 
to  multiply  books  of  instruction  for  the  youth  in  Grecian 
schools. 


PART  FIRST 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  TOUR: 

INCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS  UPON  THE  MORE  INTERESTING  LOCALI- 
TIES AND  SCENERY}  UPON  THE  SOIL,  AGRICULTURE,  AND  PRO- 
DUCTIONS} THE  EFFECTS  OF  WAR  ON  THE  TOWNS,  VILLAGES,  AND 
PLANTATIONS}  AND  THE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  INHAB- 
ITANTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PELOPONNESUS. 

Enter  the  province  of  Elis — Clarentsa — Chloumoutsi  castle — Plain  of  Elis — 
Manner  of  travelling— Roads— From  Clarentsa  to  Ali  Chelebi— A khan— Enter 
the  province  of  A chai  a— Pastoral  life — Palaso-Achaia— Church  ofSt.  Andrew 
— Patras — Profanation  of  the  Sabbath — From  Patras  to  Bostitsa — Scene  of 
wretchedness — Hospitable  reception — Domestic  employments — Bostitsa — An- 
cient republic  of  Achaia — From  Bostitsa  to  Xilocastron — Remarks  on  the  plains 
along  the  northern  coast — Unexpected  meeting — Enter  the  province  of  Augo- 
li  s — Plain  of  Corinth — Arrival  at  the  city. 

On  the  15th  of  April  1829,  Mr.  Smith  and  myself  em- 
barked at  Zante,  the  most  fertile  and  beautiful  of  the 
Ionian  Islands,  for  the  opposite  coast  of  Greece.  The 
distance  is  not  great;  but,  the  wind  dying  away,  night 
overtook  us  in  our  open  boat,  before  we  were  far  ad- 
vanced. Happily  each  of  us,  while  at  Zante,  had  pro- 
cured a capote — that  convenient  substitute  to  the  Greek 
4 


38 


ENTER  THE  PELOPONNESUS. 


for  house  and  bed.  This  is  a large,  shaggy  outer  gar- 
ment, thick  and  heavy,  made  of  coarse  wool,  with  the 
accompaniment  of  a hood.  Wrapped  in  this,  we 
were  warm  all  night,  notwithstanding  the  copious  dew. 
The  boatmen,  who  were  Greeks,  rowed  until  morning, 
and  cheered  their  labors  by  some  of  their  national  songs. 

In  the  morning  we  were  near  the  Grecian  coast,  and 
a gentle  breeze  relieved  the  labors  of  the  oar.  We  took 
our  repast  with  gratitude  for  being  at  last  permitted  to 
enter  the  principal  field  of  our  inquiries,  and  that  field 
the  Peloponnesus.3,  Never  was  a morning  more  bland 
and  charming,  nor  the  sea  more  smooth.  We  sat  look- 
ing at  the  land  as  the  sun  advanced  above  the  moun- 
tains of  Achaia,  and  thought  of  the  long  political  and 
moral  night,  which  had  covered  the  country,  but  was 
now  beginning  to  break  away. 

At  9 we  entered  the  harbor  of  Clarentsa,  which,  like 
most  of  the  ports  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  gulf,  is 
too  much  exposed  to  the  north  wind  to  be  safe  at  all 
seasons.  Near  the  modern  village,  on  the  cape  west  of 
the  harbor,  are  ruins.  Here  anciently  stood  Cyllene, 
the  port  of  Elis,  where  the  expatriated  Messenians  ren- 
dezvoused before  sailing  to  found  Messina  in  Sicily. 
This  place,  when  the  eastern  empire  was  overrun  by 
the  western  nations,  gave  name  to  a Greek  duchy, 
from  which  the  English  dukes  of  Clarence  derive  their 
title.  Under  the  Venetians,  Clarentsa  was  a flourishing 
port.  But  in  later  years,  Gastoune  being  the  capital  of 
the  province,  trade  has  been  attracted  to  Pyrgos,  a port 
in  that  neighborhood;  so  that,  in  1810,  according  to  the 
report  of  a traveller,  Clarentsa  contained  only  a custom- 
house and  two  cottages.  We  found  about  200  inhabit- 
ants, who  had  all  been  apparently  reduced,  by  war,  pov- 
erty, and  disease,  to  the  extreme  of  misery — a part 

(a)  This  celebrated  name  may  be  considered  as  restored  to  that  part  of 
the  Grecian  territory,  which,  for  700  years,  has  been  called  the  Morea; 
since  it  is  that  which  is  used  by  the  Greek  government  in  all  its  official 
acts  and  documents.  Indeed  the  Greeks  are  endeavoring  to  restore  the 
ancient  names  to  many  parts  of  their  country}  and  why  should  we  refuse 
our  aid  in  giving  them  currency?  I shall  not  restrict  myself,  however,  to 
the  use  of  the  ancient  name  of  the  peninsula. 


PROSPECT  FROM  CASTEL  TORNESE. 


39 


living  in  cottages  of  wicker,  plastered  with  mud;  the 
rest  in  tents  made  simply  of  reeds.  A national  vessel 
lay  in  the  harbor,  dealing  out  corn  to  the  people  at  re- 
duced prices.  Pano,  our  interpreter,  told  us  that  our 
arrival  occasioned  considerable  speculation  as  soon  as  it 
was  known  we  were  from  America,  the  people  at  once 
supposing  we  came  to  distribute  food  or  clothing  among 
them.  This  is  explained  by  the  fact,  that  one  of  the 
agents  sent  from  this  country  with  supplies  for  the 
Greeks,  had  been  at  Clarentsa,  not  long  before. 

Taking  advantage  of  a little  spare  time,  we  walked 
out  to  Chloumoutsi  castle, b an  hour  and  a quarter® 
south  of  the  village.  It  stands  upon  the  highest  point  of 
the  broken  high  lands,  which  form  the  most  western 
projection  of  the  Peloponnesus.  Valuable  minerals 
have  been  supposed  to  lie  beneath  the  surface;  but  the 
lands  are  not  in  general  inviting  to  the  husbandman, 
and  most  of  them  are  overgrown  with  bushes.  The 
castle  probably  owes  its  origin  to  the  Venetians,  or  per- 
haps to  the  Spaniards,  who,  in  the  time  of  Charles  V, 
under  Andrew  Doria,  made  themselves  masters  of  sev- 
eral districts  on  the  west  and  south  coasts,  including 
Patras  and  Corone.d  Its  massy  walls  and  arches  are 
still  standing,  but  it  is  without  gates,  and  in  a ruinous 
condition.  The  prospect  from  its  top  was  highly  inter- 
esting to  us,"  who  had  but  just  landed  on  Grecian  soil. 
We  were  in  the  midst  of  a territory,  which  an  idola- 
trous superstition  once  had  the  power  to  shield  for  ages 
from  the  alarms  and  ravages  of  war — which  armies 
were  not  permitted  even  to  cross,  till  their  arms  had  been 
deposited  on  the  frontiers.  The  coast  of  Etolia  was 
conspicuous  on  the  north,  and  the  islands  of  Zante,  Cef- 
alonia  and  Ithaca  on  the  west,  while  eastward  rose  the 
mountains  of  Arcadia  and  Achaia.  The  valley  of  the 


(b)  Always  so  called  in  the  Greek  Gazette.  Castel  Tornese  is  the  name 
by  which  it  is  better  known. 

(c)  Distance  is  measured  in  Greece,  and  in  all  that  part  of  the  world,  by 
the  time  occupied  in  travelling  it.  The  common  rate  of  travelling  is 
three  miles,  or  one  league,  an  hour. 

(d)  Vertot's  Hist,  of  the  Knight's  of  St.  John,  vol.  ii,  pp.  54,55. 


40 


THE  PLAIN  OF  ELIS. 


Alpheus  and  the  Olympic  plain,  on  the  south,  were  con- 
cealed  by  a low  range  of  hills  descending  from  the  lofty 
interior,  and  forming  cape  Catacolon.e  Between  these 
hills  and  mountains  and  the  high  lands  on  which  we 
stood,  lies  the  extensive  and  fertile  plain  of  Elis. 
Through  the  southern  part  of  it  meanders  the  ancient 
Peneus,  said  to  have  been  employed  by  Hercules  to 
cleanse  the  Augean  stables.  This  beautiful  plain,  lying 
on  the  direct  road  of  the  Egyptians  between  the  fortres- 
ses ofMessenia  and  Patras,  and  defended  by  no  moun- 
tain fastnesses,  experienced,  during  the  late  struggle,  all 
the  horrors  of  savage  warfare.  Bursting  through  the 
pass  of  Cleidi,  in  1825,  and  leaving  Pyrgos  a ruin,  the 
soldiers  of  Ibrahim  Pasha  spread  themselves  among  the 
villages  of  this  plain,  to  ravage,  burn,  and  kill/  Many 
of  the  miserable  inhabitants  perished  fighting  for  their 
homes;  others  took  refuge  in  this  castle,  and  by  it  were 
sheltered  for  months  from  the  rage  of  the  enemy,  as  he 
occasionally  passed.  It  finally  yielded  to  his  attacks, 
and  three  thousand  souls,  as  we  were  told,  fell  into  his 
hands,  and  were  reduced  to  slavery.  Beneath  the  north 
wall  of  the  castle,  are  the  ruins  of  a modern  village,  and 
the  only  inhabitants  we  saw — a small  number  of  women 
and  children— -brought  eggs  and  water  for  our  refresh- 
ment. In  return  we  gave  them  a few  paras. s 

The  plain  of  Elis,  of  which  we  had  so  good  a view 
from  the  battlements  of  the  castle,  is  one  of  the  richest 
and  most  valuable  in  the  Peloponnesus;  though,  for 
want  of  inhabitants,  working-cattle,  and  seed-corn,  most 


(e)  From  Castel  Tornese  cape  Catacolon  bears  S.  10  E.,  Gastoune  S. 
50  E.,  Peak  of  mount  Olonos  S.  80  E.,  cape  Papa  N.  45  E.,  Peak  of 
Black  Mountain  in  Cefalonia  N.  45  W.,  northern  extremity  of  Zante  N.70 
W.,  southern  S.  54  W. 

(f)  Greek  Gazette. 

(g)  The  Greeks  had  no  coin  of  their  own,  at  the  period  of  our  visit.  The 
common  mode  of  keeping  accounts  was  in  piastres  and  paras,  a Turkish 
currency.  The  value  of  the  piastre  varies.  In  Greece,  fifteen  piastres 
were  reckoned  to  the  Spanish  dollar  in  1829:  in  Smyrna,  fourteen,  or 
fourteen  and  a half.  The  para  is  the  fortieth  part  of  a piastre.  The  para 
is  also  divided  into  three  parts,  and  a third  part  is  called  an  aspen.  A 
purse  is  500  piastres. — The  Greeks  now  have  a national  coin,  which  they 
call  a Phoenix.  Six  are  equal  to  a Spanish  dollar. 


MODE  OF  TRAVELLING. 


41 


of  it  is  now  a mere  pasture  for  the  flocks  of  the  shep- 
herd. The  shepherds  of  Elis,  however,  have  borne 
their  share  of  calamity;  for,  out  of  nearly  100,000  sheep 
and  goats,  that  formerly  fed  on  the  plain  during  the 
winter,  not  more  than  10,000  are  supposed  to  remain.11 
Many  herds  of  cattle  were  also  destroyed.  The  chief 
productions,  before  the  revolution,  were  wheat,  maize, 
cotton,  silk,  wine,  and  cheese.  In  every  direction  ap- 
peared the  dark  remains  of  ruined  villages. 

With  six  animals,  for  ourselves,  our  interpreter  and 
baggage,  and  nearly  as  many  muleteers,  we  commenced 
our  journey,  soon  after  noon,  for  Patras.  No  wages 
were  stipulated  for  the  muleteers,  and  they  expected 
nothing,  in  addition  to  the  twelve  piastres  we  were  to 
pay  them  for  each  animal  on  arriving  at  Patras.  We 
travelled  one  after  another  in  a beaten  track,  though 
often  we  had  not  so  much  as  that.  Indeed  the  Pelo- 
ponnesus no  where  contains  anything  deserving  to  be 
called  a road,  excepting  a short  space  between  Navari- 
no  and  Mothone,  where  the  French  troops  have  opened 
a way  for  their  military  wagons  and  artillery.  Nor  are 
there  carriages  to  require  them.  Everything  is  carried 
on  the  backs  of  animals.  Yet  carriages  are  said  to  be 
known  on  the  fertile  plains  of  Epirus  and  Thessaly;  and 
anciently  they  were  common  to  all  parts  of  the  penin- 
sula: we  repeatedly  saw  traces  of  them  worn  in  the  rocks. 

Our  route  led  us  along  the  sandy  beach  as  far  as  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Cacotyche,  with  marshy  ground  in 
our  vicinity  that  must  be  unhealthy  in  summer,  and 
ruined  houses  and  villages  at  a distance  on  the  plain. 
Fording  the  little  lake  at  the  river’s  mouth,  and  leaving 
the  shore,  we  rode  through  grounds  partially  overgrown 
with  bushes,  but  affording  some  fertile,  though  unculti- 
vated, lawns.  The  evening  at  length  shut  in,  and  a 
heavy  dew  chilled  the  air,  and  made  the  thought  of 
riding  till  a late  hour  rather  unpleasant.  Passing  near 
flocks  of  sheep,  the  savage  dogs  which  guard  them 

(h)  Col.  Leake  says  the  district  of  Gastoune  contained  300,000  sheep  and 
goats,  in  the  year  1805. 

*4 


42  ENTERTAINMENT  AFFORDED  BY  KHANS. 

threatened  to  tear  us  from  our  horses.  The  cry  of 
jackals  soon  after  met  our  ears,  followed  by  loud,  angry 
responses  from  the  dogs.1 

Around  Monolata,  the  first  village  we  passed,  six 
hours  and  a half  from  Clarentsaj  are  a few  cultivated 
fields.  The  village  contains  25  families.  Beyond  is  a 
corn-mill,  turned  by  water.  We  now  entered  the  great 
route  from  Patras  to  Gastoune,  Pyrgos,  and  Navarino; 
many  ages  ago,  thronged  by  multitudes  from  the 
Achaean  states  going  to  the  Olympic  games;  now,  silent 
and  grass-grown.  The  Greeks  of  thirty  generations 
traversed  this  route  on  their  way  to  that  celebrated 
amusement;  and  fifty  generations  have  crossed  the  stage 
of  life  since  Olympia  ceased  to  attract  the  lovers  of 
pleasure  and  of  fame. — We  were  now  on  fine  pasture- 
ground,  and  in  an  open  grove  of  large  spreading  oaks, 
and  the  air  became  less  humid  and  warmer.  This  con- 
tinued until,  at  ten  o’clock,  we  reached  the  ruined  vil- 
lage of  Ali  Chelebi,  fatigued  and  hungry,  and  glad  of 
rest  even  in  a dirty  khan.  The  khan,  or  inn,  was  a 
long,  thatched  cottage,  built  in  the  most  simple  manner, 
with  no  floor  but  the  ground,  a fire  in  the  centre,  and 
boards  here  and  there  to  supply  the  place  of  beds. 
We  got  a little  milk,  and  this,  with  the  contents  of  our 
box,  satisfied  our  hunger.  Then,  wrapping  our  capotes 
about  us,  we  lay  down  on  the  boards,  and  slept  Sweetly 
till  morning.  The  keepers  of  the  khan  charged  us  more 
than  twice  the  customary  fees,  a compliment  we  were  al- 
ways to  expect;  and  often  we  could  escape  paying  at  this 
rate  only  by  an  independent  decision,  the  proper  exer- 
cise of  which  required  mildness,  patience,  and  discretion. 
We  generally  endeavored  to  avoid  extremes,  and  always 
to  keep  a conscience  void  of  offence  towards  God  and 


(i)  Jackals  “go  together  in  herds,  lie  in  eaves  through  the  day,  and  wan- 
der about  howling  through  the  night.  They  make  their  waj  into  houses 
for  the  purpose  of  stealing  food.  They  have  so  little  cunning,  that,  when 
thieving  in  a house,  if  they  hear  one  of  the  herd  howling  out  in  the  fields, 
they  immediately  set  up  a responsive  cry,  and  thus  betray  to  the  master 
of  the  house  their  predatory  visitation.  They  are  ferocious,  but  can  be 
kept  off  with  a cane.”  They  are  supposed  to  be  the  animal  mentioned  in 
Judges  xv,  4. — Jahn’s  Bib.  Archaeology. 


PASTORAL  LIFE. 


43 


towards  manJ  The  houses  of  the  village  are  few  and 
mean.  We  subsequently  learned  that  this  place  belongs 
to  the  great  convent  of  Megaspelaeon,  near  Calabryta. 

At  an  early  hour  we  were  on  horseback,  and  contin- 
ued travelling  among  the  oaks  till  after  10  A.  M.,  fre- 
quently passing  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  and  once  a 
large  herd  of  swine.  These  maratime  plains  afford  ex- 
cellent pasturage  in  the  winter  and  spring,  but  in  sum- 
mer they  are  parched  by  the  heat,  and  then  the  shep- 
herd drives  his  charge  to  the  more  elevated  regions  of 
the  interior.  At  10  we  came  upon  one  of  the  most 
charming  spots  I ever  saw,  affording  a lovely  view  of 
pastoral  life.  The  ground  was  a little  more  elevated 
than  the  surrounding  country,  and  gently  descended  on 
every  side.  The  surface  was  smooth  and  green,  and 
flocks  were  grazing  among  the  oaks,  attended  by  shep- 
herds with  their  crooks,  which  they  employ  for  catching 
the  sheep  and  lambs.  The  huts  of  the  shepherds, 
made  of  boughs  and  reeds  covered  with  black  felt,  (the 
common  habitations  of  the  Nomadic  race,)  were  seen  here 
and  there  through  the  trees,  and  the  sound  of  some  sim- 
ple instrument  of  music,  perhaps  the  pipe  or  reed,  came 
floating  on  the  breeze.  No  desolation,  no  emblem  or 
memento  of  war  was  in  sight,  to  disturb  the  rural  and 
peaceful  aspect  of  the  scene,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun 
from  above  were  tempered  by  thin  passing  clouds,  and 
by  the  shade  of  the  trees.  I perceived  why  poets, 
gazing  only  for  a moment  upon  scenes  like  these,  and 
taking  no  very  serious  views  of  human  nature,  associated 
the  pastoral  life  with  all  that  is  gentle,  innocent,  and 
happy. 

We  were  now  in  the  province  of  Achaia,  having 
crossed  the  Ligero  nearly  three  hours  before — a stream 
supposed  to  be  the  ancient  Larissus,  which  Pausanias 


(j)  The  ruins  of  many  khans  in  Greece,  show  that  they  were  large;  but 
those  now  existing  are  wretched  things.  Their  usual  accommodations 
are,  a shelter  (in  case  it  is  not  the  rainy  season,)  coffee,  native  wine,  possi- 
bly bread  and  the  cheese  of  the  country,  and  a board  to  sleep  on;  with  the 
serious  drawback  of  fleas,  and  other  vermin  more  offensive.  A traveller 
in  the  Morea  must  carry  his  cooking  utensils,  his  bed,  and  certain  articles 
of  provisions  with  him;  and  a small  tent  will  be  a valuable  acquisition. 


44 


TOWN  OF  PATRAS. 


says  separated  Elis  from  the  Achaic  states.k  The 
plain  extends  from  the  sea  to  the  mountains,  perhaps 
eight  or  ten  miles.  Descending  into  a beautiful  valley, 
we  rested  a while  at  a bush  khan,  and  procured  some 
milk  from  a flock  of  sheep,  tended  by  a shepherd  and 
shepherdess;  the  latter  ornamented  with  strings  of  silver 
coins  about  her  head.  The  valley  leads  out  to  the  gulf 
of  Patras,  and  we  continued  our  route  along  the  alluvial, 
cultivated  plain,  here  skirting  the  shore.  Palaeo-Achaia 
stands  on  the  edge  of  a higher  plain  just  at  our  right, 
and  is  supposed  to  represent  the  ancient  Olenus.1  At 
noon  we  forded  the  now  broad  and  rapid  torrent  of 
Comenitsa,  and  were  amused  with  the  spirit  of  some 
Albanian  or  Wallachian  shepherds,  who  were  trans- 
porting their  flock  on  horseback  across  the  stream. 
The  path  soon  became  uninteresting  until  we  entered 
the  level,  and  to  some  extent  marshy,  plain  of  Patras, 
reaching  from  the  beach  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains — 
here  only  a short  distance.  None  of  the  orchards  of 
figs,  oranges,  &ic.  winch  formerly  ornamented  the  plain, 
are  now  remaining,  and  scarcely  any  of  the  vine  and 
currant  plantations. 

On  approaching  the  town  of  Patras,  the  muleteers 
manifested  strong  veneration  for  a church  supposed  to 
contain  the  bones  of  St.  Andrew,  the  apostle;  who  is 
the  patron  saint  of  the  Peloponnesus.  The  church  was 
demolished  by  the  Albanians  in  1770,  and  the  Greeks, 
though  they  made  large  offers  to  the  Turks,  were  never 
allowed  to  rebuild  it.  The  late  war  rolled  over  it  a 
second  desolation:  but  ere  long  it  will  rise  again,  no 
doubt,  with  unwonted  splendor. 

Patras  was  one  of  the  principal  towns  in  ancient 
Achaia,  and  has  ever  maintained  a respectable  standing 
among  the  cities  of  Greece.  Under  the  Greek  empire, 
it  was  a dukedom.  The  Venetians  obtained  it  by  pur- 
chase, and  afterwards  it  was  held  by  them  and  by  the 
Turks,  as  one  or  the  other  gained  the  ascendancy  in 
the  Morea.  Before  the  late  revolution,  it  contained 


(k)  Paus.b.  7,  c.  17. 


(1)  Paus.  b.  7,  c.  17;  18. 


PROFANATION  OF  THE  SABBATH. 


45 


8,000  or  10,000  inhabitants,  chiefly  Greeks,  and  was 
the  emporium  of  the  Morea,  and  one  of  the  most 
commercial  places  in  all  Greece.  Situated  on  a gen- 
tle eminence  projecting  from  mount  Bodias,  whose 
snowy  summit  rises  within  a short  distance  eastward, 
it  enjoys  an  extensive  prospect  south  and  west.  Its 
port  is  open  and  insecure.  The  citadel,  built  in  the 
dark  ages,  and  composed  in  part  of  broken  columns 
and  architectural  ornaments  from  ancient  edifices,  was 
never  taken  by  the  Greeks,  and  capitulated  finally 
to  Gen.  Schneider,  commander  of  a division  of  the 
French  army,  in  October  1828.  The  houses  within 
the  fortress,  are  in  a ruinous  condition.  The  town 
below,  with  the  exception  of  a mosque,  is  almost 
entirely  levelled  with  the  ground.  The  present  town 
had  sprung  up  within  p fpw  months-  Its  houses  are 
of  rough  boards,  hastily  put  together  for  a temporary 
shelter,  with  little  regard  to  order  in  their  location.  It 
already  contains  7,000  or  8,000  inhabitants,  and  a con- 
siderable number  of  vessels  and  small  craft  were  in  its 
harbor.  Almost  every  individual  exhibited  the  char- 
acteristic Greek  hilarity,  and  seemed  to  forget  the  suf- 
ferings and  sorrows  of  the  past,  in  the  business,  bustle, 
and  gaiety  of  the  present. 

Our  stay  at  Patras  was  prolonged  till  Monday,  April 
20th.  The  Sabbath  was  Easter  Sunday  with  the 
French  troops,  and  Palm  Sunday  with  the  Greeks,  and 
at  an  early  hour  the  President,  Capo  D’Istrias,  arrived 
on  a tour  he  was  then  making  through  the  Peloponnesus. 
From  these  causes  we  were  much  incommoded  by  the 
firing  of  guns  great  and  small,  and  the  running  and 
shouting  of  Greeks  about  our  house,  which  happened  to 
be  near  the  President’s  quarters.  The  tumult  was  in- 
creased by  the  lamentable  fact,  that  the  Sabbath  is  the 
principal  market-day  in  the  place,  and  many  of  the 
peasants  had  come  in  from  the  country  for  purposes  of 
traffic.  I therefore  sought  refuge  upon  the  broken  hills 
behind  the  castle:  but  there  being  no  shade  on  those 
tiresome  heights,  I soon  felt  the  force  of  that  expressive 


46 


THE  Missionary’s  ONLY  HOPE. 


figure  in  the  Scriptures,  “the  shadow  of  a great  rock  in 
a weary  land.”  How  refreshing  such  a shade,  in  such 
a land,  with  a water-brook  near  by:  and  how  much 
more  refreshing  God’s  gracious  presence.  But  de- 
prived, at  that  moment,  of  those  cheering  views  of  di- 
vine providence,  which  I endeavor  habitually  to  cherish, 
and  oppressed  by  the  heat,  for  once  I gave  way  to  mel- 
ancholy feelings,  as  I sat  upon  the  brow  of  a hill  over- 
hanging the  town.  It  was  my  first  Sabbath  in  Greece. 
The  crowds  of  people  beneath,  were  exulting  in  the  pos- 
session of  their  new-born  liberty.  They  could  no  longer 
be  oppressed  by  the  Moslem — -the  robber  and  the  pirate 
had  been  disarmed — and  hill  and  valley,  plain  and 
shore,  were  now  equally  safe  to  the  inhabitant.  But 
then  I could  see  no  traces  of  the  Sabbath — the  true 
palladium  of  liberty,  the  cnfognjarrl  of  Christianity  itself, 
and  that  one  thing  without  which  we  must  not  anticipate 
a general  revival  of  pure  and  undefiled  religion.  I did 
not  look  for  preaching  in  the  churches,  nor  indeed  for 
any  of  those  services  in  the  language  of  the  people, 
which  make  the  Sabbath  a delight  in  my  own  land.  I 
expected  to  see  shops  open,  trade  in  the  market-place, 
mirth  in  the  streets,  and  thoughtlessness  everywhere. 
But  I was  not  prepared  to  see  the  principal  weekly  fail* 
for  all  the  surrounding  country,  held  on  that  day;  and 
should  we  find  this  profanation  extending  through  the 
provinces,  (as  we  did  in  some  others,)  I thought  how  for- 
midable an  obstacle  it  would  be  to  the  prevalence  of  truth 
and  righteousness.  At  last  I took  refuge  in  the  power 
and  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who,  when  he  sent 
Paul  into  Greece,  encouraged  him  to  take  his  stand  in 
the  most  corrupt  of  Grecian  cities,  with  the  assurance 
that  he  had  much  people  there  to  be  transformed  in  the 
spirit  of  their  minds  and  the  tenor  of  their  lives,  and 
made  meet  for  heaven,  by  the  Gospel.  And  in  some 
instances  how  great  the  change.  “Be  not  deceived,” 
says  the  apostles  to  those  Grecians,  “neither  fornicators, 
nor  idolators,  nor  adulterers,  nor  effeminate,  nor  abusers 
of  themselves  with  mankind,  nor  thieves,  nor  covetous, 


PLEDGES — NATJPACTUS. 


47 


nor  drunkards,  nor  revilers,  nor  extortioners,  shall 
inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  such  were  some 
of  you : but  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified, 
but  ye  are  justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God.” m 

Our  horses  were  in  readiness  at  an  early  hour  on 
Monday  morning.  According  to  custom  we  had  taken 
a pledge  that  the  engagement  should  be  faithfully 
kept.  In  the  present  instance,  it  was  a brass  inkhorn, 
such  as  is  frequently  worn  in  the  girdle,  often  rather  for 
ornament  than  use.  It  is  probably  similar  to  the  one 
mentioned  in  Ezekiel  ix,  3,  and  is  made  to  contain  both 
ink  and  pens.  More  frequently  the  pledge  was  a small 
piece  of  money.  We  were  to  give  ten  piastres  for  each 
horse  to  Bostitsa,  one  day’s  journey.  From  thence  to 
Corinth  occupies  two  days  more. 

The  narrow  plain  on  the  margin  of  the  gulf  is  culti- 
vated as  far  as  the  Skinas,  a rivulet  an  hour  from  Patras, 
deriving  its  name  from  a village  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain. A small  canal  runs  by  the  roadside  conveying 
water  to  a corn-mill  near  the  town.  Beyond,  is  a grav- 
elly soil,  overrun  with  bushes,  and  furrowed  by  torrents. 
At  the  end  of  the  second  hour,  we  were  opposite  the 
entrance  to  the  gulf  of  Corinth,  which  is,  or  may  be, 
effectually  guarded  by  the  castle  of  the  Morea  on  the 
one  side,  and  that  of  Roumele  on  the  other,  both  erect- 
ed more  than  three  centuries  ago.  Near  the  river 
Drepanum,  and  opposite  the  city  Naupactus,  (or  Le- 
panto,)  we  crossed  a few  cultivated  patches,  and  had  a 
distinct  view  of  that  city,  on  the  Locrian  coast,  whose 
name  occurs  so  often  in  ancient  and  modern  history. 
Many  a slaughtered  Turk  stands  associated  in  history 
with  the  name  of  Lepanto.n  The  walls  of  Naupactus 
form  a sort  of  triangle,  having  its  base  upon  the  shore, 


(m)  1 Cor.  vi,  9 — 11. 

(n)  In  1745,  not  less  than 30,000  Turks  perished  in  an  attempt  to  wrest 
the  city  from  the  Venetians;  and  in  1571,  Don  John  of  Austria  engaged 
the  Turkish  fleet  in  the  gulf  of  Lepanto,  took  130  gallies,  destroyed  55, 
killed  25,000  men,  made  prisoners  of  10,000,  liberated  15,000  Christian 
slaves,  and  checked  the  pride  of  Ottoman  conquest. 


48 


ENTER  BOSTITSA. 


and  its  apex  on  the  top  of  a hill,  where  is  a citadel. 
The  city  was  at  that  time  closely  besieged  by  the  Greeks, 
and  on  the  point  of  surrendering;  but  the  occasional 
discharge  of  artillery  showed  that  hostilities  were  not  yet 
suspended. 

The  mountain  now  advanced  quite  to  the  shore;' — 
lofty,  rugged,  and  steep,  though  seldom  precipitous,  and 
covered  with  bushes.  It  was  anciently  called  the  prom- 
ontory of  Drepanum.  The  river  still  retains  the  name. 
In  one  place  a beautiful  white  cascade  falls  from  a great 
height.  Further  on  a foaming  torrent  dashes  through  a 
deep  glen  into  the  sea.  Here  is  a strong  pass,  which  was 
seized  by  the  Greeks  in  the  revolution,  and  thus  the 
Turks  of  Patras  were  cut  off  from  communication  with 
Bostitsa.  The  mountains  now  gradually  diminish  to 
hills  with  regular  summits,  and  a bend  in  the  coast  gave 
us  an  extensive  prospect  up  the  gulf.  Here  we  first 
saw  mount  Parnassus,  across  a beautiful  sheet  of 
water.  Fording  the  rivers  Salamonica  and  Bostitsa,  we 
entered  the  plain  of  Bostitsa,  and  shortly  after  the  town; 
having  passed  but  two  inhabited  houses  all  day,  and  they 
were  khans  of  the  poorest  description.  We  had  been 
on  horseback  nine  hours  and  forty  minutes,  since  leaving 
Patras. 

The  walls  of  most  of  the  houses  in  Bostitsa  were 
built  of  a reddish  argillaceous  earth  hardened  in  the  sun; 
but  the  whole  town  had  been  destroyed  by  the  united 
agency  of  Greeks  and  Turks,  and,  as  we  approached, 
seemed  to  be  deserted.  There  are,  however,  about 
200  families,  out  of  the  300  formerly  in  the  place, 
of  whom  many  live  in  the  most  wretched  hovels  imagin- 
able,— built  up  of  loose  stones,  boughs,  and  grass,  against 
the  broken  walls  of  their  former  habitations.  By  the 
side  of  one  of  these  abodes  of  poverty,  and  within  the 
ruins  of  what  was,  probably,  once  the  comfortable  dwell- 
ing of  his  family,  sat  a sick  youth  in  rags,  on  the  ground, 
the  very  personification  of  misery.  He  did  not  speak, 
and  perhaps  could  not,  but  looked  as  if  he  wished  for 
something;  and  when  a few  paras  were  offered  him,  he 


HOSPITABLE  RECEPTION. 


49 


received  them  in  silence,  and  again  sat  down  upon  the 
ground.  His  parents  had  gone,  I suppose,  in  search  of 
their  daily  food. 

Having  a letter  of  introduction  to  Mr.  M.,  a Greek 
gentleman  of  Bostitsa,  apparently  one  of  the  wealthiest 
inhabitants,  we  called  on  him  immediately,  and  he 
pressed  us  to  lodge  in  his  house — killed  a lamb  for 
our  refreshment,  although  it  was  Holy  Week  in  Lent 
when  meat  is  strictly  inhibited  to  the  Greek — and  sat 
down  at  the  table  with  us,  agreeably  to  the  etiquette  of 
the  country;  eating,  however,  only  from  a dish  of  his 
own  prepared  according  to  the  ritual  of  the  Greek 
church.  The  personal  appearance  of  this  man  would 
have  become  the  best  days  of  Greece,  and  he  could 
not  possibly  have  received  us  with  more  genuine  hospi- 
tality. His  wife  is  sister  to  one  of  the  distinguished 
men  of  the  revolution,  and  her  employment  while  we 
had  the  pleasure  of  her  company,  is  literally  described 
by  the  mother  of  king  Lemuel;  “She  layeth  her  hands 
to  the  spindle,  and  her  hands  hold  the  distaff.”  Prov. 
xxxi,  1 9.  Indeed  this  seems  a common  occupation  of 
Greek  females,  where  they  can  command  the  materi- 
als. The  distaff  is  held  in  the  left  hand,  and  around  it 
is  wound  the  cotton.  The  thread  is  twisted  by  means 
of  a spindle  alone,  which  hangs  from  the  cotton  and  is 
made  to  revolve  by  whirling  it  with  the  fingers  every 
few  moments.  I did  not  see  wheels  employed  any 
where  in  the  Levant.  At  Malta  they  use  a small  one 
of  a most  primitive  construction.  Looms  of  a simple 
form  were  numerous  in  Greece  before  the  war. 

Bostitsa  is  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  iEgium,  the  cap- 
ital of  the  Achaean  states,  where  their  congress  used  to 
assemble.  It  is  situated  on  the  edge  of  rather  an  ele- 
vated plain,  which  here  advances  quite  to  the  harbor* 
On  the  beach  below,  grows  the  famous  plane  tree  of 
Bostitsa,  and  near  it  bursts  out  a copious  fountain, 
remarkable  in  ancient  times,0  whose  cool  and  delicious 


(o)  Paus.  B.  7.  c.  25.  Pausanias  travelled  about  the  year  97. 

5 


50 


ANCIENT  REPUBLIC  OF  ACHAIA. 


waters  find  vent  in  more  than  a dozen  artificial  spouts 
of  stone.  To  the  east,  a lower  plain  extends  out  to  a 
cape,  and  is  partly  occupied  with  an  extensive  grove  of 
olives,  and  partly  covered  with  the  currant  now  clothed 
with  a delicate  verdure.  Towards  the  west  and  north- 
west, the  higher  plain  was  waving  with  grain,  and  en- 
riched with  luxuriant  pasturage.  Irregular  hills  rise 
beyond,  softened  by  distance,  and  picturesque  from 
their  number  and  varying  forms.  The  whole  was  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful,  and  some  parts  of  it  reminded  us 
vividly  of  our  native  land.  This  association  was  pecu- 
liarly interesting  on  the  very  spot  where  once  assem- 
bled the  representatives  of  a federal  republic, p that 
more  resembled  our  own  than  any  other  of  the  re- 
publics of  antiquity,  and  continued  and  rose  into  power 
when  the  other  states  of  Greece  had  all  fallen  a 
prey  to  domestic  dissentions  or  foreign  tyrants.  At  re- 
moter distances  are  seen  the  snowy  back  of  Bodias  and 
other  mountains  of  Achaia,  and  the  rude  mountains  of 
Locris  beyond  the  gulf  of  Corinth,  with  the  bleak  and 
snowy  ridge  of  Parnassus. q Hardly  a spot  in  all  Greece 
was  so  pleasing  to  us  as  this.  There  is  something,  too, 
in  the  name , that  is  grateful  to  the  pious  ear, — “Achaia’’ 
— “the  regions  of  Achaia” — associated  delightfully  with 
apostolical  labors  and  successes  and  with  God’s  holy 
word. 

May  21st  we  commenced  our  journey  for  Corinth, 
passing  through  the  currant  grounds  already  mentioned, 
and  then  through  groves  of  olives.  Three  hours  brought 
us  to  the  river  of  Calabryta,  with  which,  some  weeks 
after,  we  became  more  acquainted  in  the  magnificent 
glen  of  Megaspelseon.  Here  it  rushes  through  a chasm 
in  the  mountains,  forming  one  of  the  grandest  scenes  in 
nature.  A little  further  on,  the  mountains  approach  the 
sea,  and  soon  we  enter  a defile  along  the  mountain  side, 
which  occupies  more  than  an  hour.  It  is  one  of  the 
many  places,  that  render  the  Peloponnesus  strong  in 


(p)  The  Republic  of  Achaia.  (q)  Bodias  bore  Wj  Parnassus  N.  73  W. 


PLAINS  ON  THE  NORTHERN  COAST. 


51 


defensive  warfare,  and  may  yet,  by  the  blessing  of  God, 
make  it  one  of  freedom’s  fastnesses,  when  political  con- 
vulsions shall  shake  the  eastern  world.  We  came  out, 
at  one  P.  M.,  upon  the  plain  of  Crata,  where  in  1822 
several  thousand  Turks  were  stopped  by  the  Greeks  on 
their  way  from  Corinth  to  Patras,  and  made  to  suffer 
the  horrors  of  extreme  famine.  The  bones  of  those 
who  perished  are  said  to  be  bleaching  not  far  from  our 
path,  and  we  afterwards  saw  some  on  the  beach.  Our 
route  now  led,  for  the  most  part,  over  a narrow  strip  of 
arable  land,  made  up  of  plains  and  undulating  grounds, 
between  the  gulf  and  the  ridge  on  our  right,  until  it 
finally  opened,  about  the  middle  of  the  second  day, 
into  the  great  plain  of  Corinth.  In  this  time  we  crossed 
several  small  rivers.  The  mountains  gradually  dimin- 
ish to  hills,  and  terminate  finally  on  the  elevated  plain 
where  Sicyon  once  stood.  Most  of  the  arable  tracts 
are  under  cultivation,  generally  with  the  currant.  There 
are  two  or  three  small  villages,  but  the  houses  had  been 
unroofed.  The  prospect  from  the  vicinity  of  Camara, 
at  sunrise,  was  well  fitted  to  awaken  classical  enthusi- 
asm, for  the  ridges  of  Parnassus,  Helicon,  Cithasron 
and  Geranium,  then  threw  a most  beautiful  outline  upon 
the  clear  sky.  At  Xilocastron  we  had  our  first  view  of 
the  snowy  top  of  Cyllene,  now  called  Zyria,  the  highest 
mountain,  except  the  Taygetus,  in  the  Peloponnesus/ 

F]  ’om  Clarensta  to  Patras  we  passed  through  but  two 
small,  ruined  villages,  and  saw  scarcely  any  cultivation. 
Between  Patras  and  Bostitsa  there  is  no  village,  and 
the  cultivation,  although  there  is  more  of  it,  is  very  im- 
perfect. The  coast  between  Bostitsa  and  the  plain  of 
Corinth  is  by  far  the  best  cultivated,  but  it  has  few  in- 
habitants. The  principal  cause  of  this  desertion  of  the 
maritime  districts,  is  to  be  sought  in  former  exposures  to 


(r)  According  to  the  measurement  of  one  of  the  wmp'uijr  ftf  French^ 
smtim+y. who  wot»e  in  Greece  the  last  year,  attending  to  its  archeology, 
topography,  statistics,  and  natural  history,  the  height  of  Zyria  is  2,360  C 


metres,  or  7 723  feet;  and  that  of  Taygetus  2,417  metres,  or  7,910  feet. 
Greek  Gazette.— A metre  is  39.  27  inches.  Zyria  bore  S.  50  W.  from 
Xilocastron. 


52 


PLAIN  OF  CORINTH. 


piratical  depredations  from  the  neighboring  waters,  and 
in  diseases  to  which  the  plains  are  subject  in  the  heat  of 
summer.  The  former  evil  is  now  at  an  end,  and  the 
latter  will  be  likely  to  diminish  with  the  progress  of  agri- 
culture. Just  below  the  soil  of  the  hills  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Xilocastron  and  Corinth,  there  is  a regular  layer 
of  breccia,  resting  upon  uncemented  pebbles,  which,  fall- 
ing away  at  the  brows  of  hills,  leave  numerous  caves, 
where  the  poorer  Greeks  frequently  reside.  One  is 
almost  led  to  imagine  that  this  stratum  was  once  on  a 
level  with  the  gulf,  especially  as  in  the  harbor  of  Cen- 
chrea  and  near  Calamaki,  similar  crusts  are  found  at 
the  water’s  edge,  evidently  of  recent  formation.  Yet  it 
should  be  added,  that  the  Scironian  rocks  on  the  south- 
eastern shore  of  the  isthmus  of  Corinth,  consist  of 
breccia,  and  that  this  species  of  rock  exists  around  My- 
cenae, and  forms  the  lofty  masses  on  both  sides  of  the 
glen  of  Megaspelason. 

As  we  were  looking  for  a shelter  beneath  which  we 
might  spend  the  night  of  the  21st,  we  passed  a tent 
pitched  in  the  field,  and  soon  heard  a gentleman  call- 
ing after  us.  I immediately  recognized  him  as  my 
townsman,  Doct.  Howe,  for  whom  I had  brought 
letters  from  parents  and  friends.  He  and  his  English 
companion,  Mr.  Urquhardt,  were  on  their  way  to  Patras, 
and  at  their  united  solicitations  we  took  up  our  lodg- 
ings with  them.  Mutual  inquiries  of  course  occupied 
us  till  rather  a late  hour. 

Somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  Xilocastron  we 
entered  the  province  of  Argolis.  Leaving  Basilicon, 
the  representative  of  the  ancient  Sicyon,  on  our  right, 
we  traversed  the  great  plain  towards  Corinth,  with  the 
battlements  of  the  Acrocorinthus  in  view.  The  plain 
of  Corinth — less  rich  than  that  of  Elis — is  almost  a per- 
fect level,  ten  or  twelve  miles  long,  and  six  or  eight 
broad.  Three  streams  descend  from  among  broken 
hills,  and  cross  it  to  the  gulf.  Only  the  first  is  entitled 
to  the  name  of  a river;  it  is  the  ancient  Asopus,  flows 
from  the  valley  of  St.  George  (the  ancient  Phlius,)  and 


ENTEtt  fttfi  CITY  OF  CORINTH, 


53 


bounds  the  plain  in  the  vicinity  of  Sicyon.  The  others 
come  respectively  from  the  vallies  of  Nemea  and  Te- 
nea.  As  we  drew  near  to  the  city,  the  dark-looking 
pillars  of  an  ancient  temple,  in  part  surmounted  by  their 
architraves,  were  a striking  object.  The  only  avenue  we 
could  find  leading  into  this  once  splendid  emporium  of 
nations,  was  a narrow,  rocky  path,  choked  with  weeds 
and  rubbish;  and  nowhere  except  in  the  market-square 
did  we  see  anything  that  looked  like  houses.  There  a few 
had  been  erected,  but  were  commodious  only  as  contrast- 
ed with  the  surrounding  ruins.  In  the  best  of  them  we 
obtained  lodgings,  in  a small  chamber  over  a wine- 
shop, where  the  thoughtless  Corinthians  were  accus- 
tomed to  assemble  nightly  for  gambling  and  noisy  mirth. 
The  boards  of  our  floor  were  loosely  laid,  and  one 
could  have  climbed  over  the  partition-walls  into  the 
apartments  of  the  family.  But  we  were  thankful  to  be 
so  well  accommodated,  and  that  hitherto  we  had  been 
comfortably  fed  and  sheltered  beyond  our  expectations. 
The  time  we  occupied  in  travelling  from  Patras  to 
Corinth,  makes  the  distance  about  seventy-  miles. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  PELOPONNESUS. 

Province  of  Argolis  continued— Present  condition  of  Corinth— Apostolical 
labors  and  Christian  church  in  Corinth— Acrocorinthus,  and  the  prospect 
from  thence— Sicyon— Propensity  of  the  Greeks  to  multiply  churches— Ride 
to  the  Nemean  plain— Customs  on  Easter  Sunday— Isthmus  of  Corinth— 
American  colony— Cenchrea— Isthmian  town  and  wall— Hermione— Cranidi 
— Plain  of  Troezen— Commence  our  principal  tour  in  the  Peloponnesus — 
Epidaurus — Grove  of  Aesculapius — Ligurion — Plain  of  Argos — Nauplion — 
Tiryns — Mycenae — The  harvest  season — Argos — Funeral  and  marriage  pro- 
cessions— Fountain  of  Erasinus — Marsh  of  JLerna — Cross  mount  Parthenium 
into  the  province  of  Arcadia. 

Corinth  is  situated  on  the  verge  of  a plain  somewhat 
elevated,  and  at  a little  distance  from  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  gulf  bearing  its  name.  Its  situation 
enabled  it  to  avail  itself  of  the  commerce  of  the  Saronic 
and  Corinthian  gulfs,  and  of  the  JEgean  and  Adriatic 
seas,  and  anciently  it  was  the  mart  both  of  Europe  and 
Asia.  Being  the  most  commercial  and  richest,  it  be- 
came the  most  dissolute,  of  the  Grecian  cities.  Upon 
this  celebrated  city  the  cup  of  cursing  has  long  since 
been  wrung  out  to  its  very  dregs.  Captured,  plun- 
dered and  devastated,  successively,  by  Roman,  Goth, 
Hun,  and  Turk,  it  was  reduced,  before  the  revolution, 
to  about  1,000  Greek  and  300  Turkish  houses.a  The 
Bey  of  Corinth,  however,  extended  his  jurisdiction 
over  163  villages.  During  the  revolution,  lying  as  it 
did  in  the  highway  of  both  Turk  and  Greek  on  entering 
or  leaving  the  Morea,  and  being  the  seat  of  a civil  broil, 
it  was  pillaged  and  wasted  by  every  party,  and  we  found 
it  a more  perfect  desolation  than  almost  any  other  mod- 
ern city  in  Greece.  The  extensive  palace  of  Kamil  Bey, 
with  its  fountains,  baths  and  gardens,  was  level  with 
the  ground.  The  Kebla,  or  sacred  side  of  one  of  its 


(a)  Turner. 


ANCIENT  CHURCH  OF  CORINTH. 


55 


three  mosques,  was  all  that  remained  of  them,  and  the 
bullet-holes  with  which  that  was  filled,  showed  in  what 
abomination  the  religion  of  the  Moslem  is  held  by  the 
Greek.  Of  six  churches,  the  walls  of  one  only  were 
entire,  and  with  the  strictest  truth  may  it  be  said,  that 
not  one  private  dwelling  escaped  destruction.  The 
streets  were  obstructed  by  ruins,  or  rank  weeds. 

Amid  this  desolation,  and  just  in  front  of  the  win- 
dows of  our  apartment,  are  the  ancient  pillars  already 
mentioned.  The  antiquarian  cannot  trace  their  history, 
and  they  are  supposed  to  have  stood  for  at  least 
twentyfive  centuries.15  They  are  seven  in  number, 
and  each  is  a single  block  of  stone  covered  with  stucco, 
and  black  with  age.  About  thirty  minutes  north- 
easterly from  the  city  are  the  remains  of  an  ancient  am- 
phitheatre, cut  through  the  breccia  crust.  Round  the 
circumference,  in  caves  worn  beneath  the  rock,  live 
about  a dozen  families — victims  of  penury  and  war, 
but  now  pensioners  on  American  charity  dispensed 
from  the  neighboring  village  of  Hexamilia.  One  hun- 
dred and  fifty  or  two  hundred  families  seek  a shelter 
among  the  ruins  of  the  city. 

Corinth,  and  its  port  Cenchrea,  are  the  only  places 
in  the  Peloponnesus  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  as  hav- 
ing been  visited  by  an  apostle.0  To  Corinth  Paul  made 
two  visits.  Here  the  Lord  Jesus  in  a vision  encour- 
aged him  to  remain,  and  fearlessly  preach  the  Gospel 
with  assurance  of  success;  here  he  labored  nearly  two 
years,  and  collected  a church  in  which  he  seems  to 
have  felt  an  unusual  interest;  here,  too,  under  the 
hospitable  roof  of  Gaius,  he  composed  the  epistle 

(b)  Leake's  Travels  in  the  Morea. 

(c)  Paul  expresses  the  hope,  that  in  his  next  visit  to  the  Corinthians, 
he  might  “preach  the  Gospel  in  the  regions  beyond  them/'  2 Cor.  x,  I65 
implying,  that,  in  his  first  visit,  he  went  no  farther  westward  than  their 
city.  This  first  visit  was  prolonged  a year  and  a half.  His  second  con- 
tinued only  three  months;  and  considering  how  much  he  probably  found 
to  “set  in  order"  in  the  Corinthian  church,  how  much  preaching  and  con- 
versation he  would  find  necessary,  and  also  the  important  instructidns  for 
disciples  abroad  which  we  know  he  here  committed  to  writing, — it  may 
be  doubted  whether  he  then  penetrated  any  farther  into  the  peninsula. 


56  PROSPECT  FROM  THE  ACROCORlNTHUS. 

to  the  Romans.  In  both  of  his  visits  he  had  the 
assistance  of  Timothy.  Apollos  came  to  Corinth 
while  these  eminent  missionaries  were  absent  in  other 
fields.  Titus  was  at  Corinth  when  Paul’s  first  epistle 
arrived,  or  soon  after;  perhaps  it  was  sent  by  him;  at 
any  rate  he  witnessed  its  good  effects,  and  reported 
them  to  the  apostle.  What  a distinguished  ministry  did 
Corinth  then  enjoy.  The  word  of  God  makes  honor- 
able mention  of  some  of  the  members  of  its  church; 
and  the  church  at  large,  although  censured  on  account 
of  certain  irregularities,  is  on  the  whole  commended 
highly  by  the  apostle.  It  was  enriched  with  all  utter- 
ance and  knowledge,  so  that  it  fell  behind  other 
churches  in  respect  to  no  gift.  It  is  true  not  many  wise, 
not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  were  called  into  it; 
for  God  had  seen  fit  to  choose  the  unlearned,  the 
weak,  and  the  poor,  that  the  wise  and  mighty  and  noble 
might  be  confounded,  and  “that  no  flesh  should  glory 
in  his  presence;”  but  he  had  shown  what  he  could 
make  of  such  by  his  new-creating  grace,  imparting  to 
them  “wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanctification 
and  redemption.”  Happy  citizens  of  ancient  Corinth! 
washed  from  the  deep  pollutions  of  their  city,  and 
fitted  for  mansions  in  the  New  Jerusalem,  they  have 
now  their  eternal  home  remote  from  the  desolating 
storms  and  revolutions  of  this  lower  world. 

One  clear  morning,  while  at  Corinth,  we  ascended 
the  isolated  mountain  on  the  southwest,  shooting  a 
thousand  feet  above  the  city,  and  crowned  by  the  citadel 
called  the  Acrocorinthus.  We  wished  to  enjoy  the 
view  from  its  summit.  Entering  the  citadel  on  the 
west  side,  where  the  mountain  is  least  precipitous,  we 
passed  three  successive  gates  and  a ruined  village — 
round  to  the  Pyrene  spring — then  to  the  highest  point, 
where,  from  the  foundations  of  an  ancient  temple,  we 
had  one  of  the  finest  prospects  in  the  world.  Regard- 
ing only  the  mere  natural  scenery,  the  mountains, 
plains,  seas,  and  islands,  there  is  a charm,  which 
no  man  gifted  with  reason  and  taste  can  fail  to  per- 


ANCIENT  SICYON. 


57 


ceive,  or  can  perceive  without  admiration.  But  how 
many  pages  of  interesting  recollections,  historical  and 
classical,  does  a single  glance  here  call  up  to  the  mind 
of  the  scholar.  Every  object  seems  a volume; — the 
isthmus  of  Corinth,  with  its  games,  and  wall,  and  the 
numerous  armies  and  barbaric  hordes  that  have  crossed 
it — the  Saronic  gulf,  and  iEgina,  and  “unconquered 
Salamis” — the  Athenian  acropolis,  like  a speck  at  the 
foot  of  mount  Hymettus — the  mountains  of  Attica,  and 
others  great  in  song,  round  to  the  long  and  lofty  ridge 
of  which  Parnassus  is  a part — the  site,  and  plain,  and 
gulf  of  Corinth — the  road  to  Nemea,  to  Mycenae,  to 
Argos,  now  seldom  trod — and  the  mountains  of  Arca- 
dia and  Achaia,  with  Cyllene  towering  in  snowy  maj- 
esty above  them  all!  One  needs  time,  when  on  such  a 
post  of  observation,  to  gaze  long  at  single  objects,  and 
to  reflect  upon  the  several  classes  of  great  events  with 
which  they  stand  associated.11 

Both  the  Acrocorinthus,  and  the  city  beneath,  are 
abundantly  supplied  with  water;  and  this  is  one  of  the 
reasons  why  Corinth  will  be  likely  to  rise  again  into 
importance  among  Grecian  cities,  if  it  does  not  become 
the  very  first.  Neither  Argos  nor  Athens  abound  in 
water.  We  counted  fifteen  villages  on  the  plain,  all  in 
a ruinous  condition.  Flocks  of  sheep  and  droves  of 
horses  were  seen  here  and  there  amid  the  luxuriant 
pastures.  But  there  were  no  vineyards;  and  we  ascer- 
tained that  both  the  currant  and  wine,  for  which  Cor- 
inth has  been  so  famed,  are  the  productions,  one  of  the 
Achaian  shore,  the  other  of  the  plain  of  St.  George. 

On  the  24th  of  April  we  crossed  the  plain  to  Basili- 
con,  a distance  of  three  hours,  passing  through  a grove 
of  about  50,000  olive  trees  not  far  from  Corinth. 
The  ancient  Sicyon  occupied  a small,  elevated  plain, 
overlooking  the  one  we  had  crossed,  and  backed  by  a 
low  hill,  in  the  face  of  which  is  still  to  be  seen  the  sta- 

(d)  Athens  bore  S.  85  E.;  south  point  ofSalamis,  S.  78  E.;  east  peak  of 
Geranium,  N.  70  E.j  west  peak,  IN.  45  E.;  Helicon.  N.  40  E.;  Parnassus, 
N.  4 E.j  Cyllene,  N.  72  W.j  Hymettus,  S.  83  E. 


58 


BASILICON. 


dium  and  a spacious  theatre.  The  plain  itself  covers 
numerous  foundations,  just  breaking  through  the  soil, 
and  presenting  a most  fertile  field  for  the  imagination  of 
classic  enthusiasts,  who,  from  a few  scattered  stones, 
can  new-create  and  describe  all  the  beauties  of  the  an- 
cient edifices  to  which  they  are  supposed  to  have  be- 
longed. Sicyon  was  one  of  the  most  ancient  seats  of 
Grecian  power,  celebrated  as  a school  of  the  arts  and 
for  its  sumptuous  and  tasteful  monuments.  Ascending 
to  the  top  of  the  theatre,  and  sitting  down  on  the  high- 
est seat  commanding  a view  of  the  prostrate  city  and 
of  a wide  range  of  interesting  objects,  I could  not  help 
being  solemnly  impressed  by  the  contrast  here  exhib- 
ited between  divine  and  human  works.  The  creations 
of  human  ingenuity  and  taste  had  all  gone  to  utter  de- 
cay, and  nearly  all  had  sunk  into  oblivion,  while  the 
works  of  God,  all  around  the  great  natural  amphithea- 
tre, shone  with  undiminished  glory.6 

The  present  village  contains  about  fifty  families,  and 
though  partly  destroyed,  is  in  better  preservation  than 
any  we  had  yet  seen.  Its  principal  church  seems  to 
have  remained  untouched.  Around  this  edifice,  it 
being  the  Friday  before  Easter  Sunday,  a considerable 
number  of  peasants  were  collected,  and  four  priests 
were  sitting  before  the  door.  The  oldest  of  these,  who 
said  he  had  been  a traveller  and  had  seen  Jerusalem, 
took  me  round  (my  companion  being  elsewhere  em- 
ployed) to  point  out  the  churches  of  the  place,  of 
which  he  affirmed  there  were  thirty.  Most  of  them 
are  mere  walls,  and  some  only  fragments  of  walls. 
We  had  previously  seen,  in  the  Ionian  Islands,  the 
strong  propensity  of  the  Greeks  to  multiply  churches, 
when  unrestrained  by  the  civil  power.  In  some  of 
those  islands,  while  the  priests  are  more  numerous  than 
is  desirable,  the  churches  are  three  times  as  numerous 


(e)  Acroeorinthus,  S.  45  E 5 Geranium,  S.  83  E.;  Oythaeron,  N.  80  E., 
Helicon,  N.  68  E.;  Parnassus,  N.  7 E.j  Cyllene,  S.  87  E. 


MULTIPLICATION  OF  CHURCHES. 


59 


as  the  priests/  For  a long  period,  however,  the  Turk- 
ish government  has  not  allowed  its  Grecian  subjects 
either  to  erect  or  repair  any  sacred  edifice,  without 
paying  considerable  sums  for  the  privilege.  This  has 
restrained  the  people.  But  where  no  such  restraint 
has  existed,  it  would  seem  that  the  building  of  churches 
was  regarded  as  a meritorious  act.  Labor  being  cheap, 
a man  would  bequeath  forty  or  fifty  dollars  in  his  will 
for  the  erection  of  one  in  honor  of  some  favorite  saint. 
A church  erected  at  that  expense  must  of  course  be 
small,  a mere  oratory,  to  be  opened,  probably,  but  once  a 
year,  on  the  return  of  the  day  dedicated  to  the  saint. 
A strong  prejudice  protects  these  buildings  from  demo- 
lition. The  wall  of  a church  in  a town  of  the  Ionian 
Islands  threatened  to  fall,  and  endangered  the  lives  of 
the  people,  but  a riot  was  near  being  the  consequence 
of  a report  that  the  government  designed  to  take  it 
down.  The  Greeks  leave  their  churches  to  a natural 
decay,  and  see  them  tumble  to  pieces  without  emotion; 
but  while  one  stone  remains  upon  another  they  call  it 
a church.  Having  finished  our  inquiries,  we  descended 
into  a retired  glen  towards  Corinth,  where  is  an  ever- 
flowing  fountain,  supposed  to  be  the  Stazousa.  Not 
daring  to  cross  the  plain  under  the  burning  rays  of  noon, 
we  rested  for  an  hour  or  two  beneath  the  shade  of  some 
trees  that  hung  over  the  waters. 

On  Monday  the  27th,  after  having  sent  our  baggage 
to  Hexamilia,  where  Doct.  Howe  had  established  a col- 
ony of  Greeks  whom  war  has  driven  from  their 
homes,  and  where  we  intended  to  spend  the  night, 
we  set  out  on  an  excursion  to  St.  George.  The 
intemperance  of  our  principal  muleteer  detained  us  till 
rather  a late  hour  in  the  morning.  Our  course  was 
northwest,  and  led  over  a comer  of  the  great  plain 

(f)  Dr.  Pinkerton  states,  that  the  same  propensity  existed  in  the  Greek 
church  of  Russia,  in  the  16th  century,  and  that  one  of  the  emperois  was 
obliged  to  restrain  it  by  a special  edict.  “Moscow  alone  once  contained,” 
he  says,  “according  to  a proverbial  expression,  her  sornJc  sorokojf,  or 
forty  times  forty  churches.” — Present  State  of  the  Greek  Church  in 
Russia , p.  17. 


60 


PLAIN  OF  NEMEA. 


already  described.  The  road  then  inclined  to  the  left, 
through  a number  of  argillacious  hills  deeply  furrowed 
by  winter  torrents.  After  crossing  the  river  of  St.  Ba- 
silius  several  times,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  village  of 
that  name,  occupying  the  site  of  ancient  Tenea,  and 
situated  across  a beautiful  plain  at  the  foot  of  a range  of 
mountains.  Here  the  road  turns  to  the  right,  and,  three 
hours  from  Corinth,  we  pass  the  uninhabited  ruins  of 
Cleonse,  upon  a circular  and  fertile  hill  on  the  left. 
From  the  spot  that  was  probably  occupied  by  its  cita- 
del, Mr.  Smith  obtained  a good  view  of  the  plain  of 
Tenea  even  to  its  southeastern  extremity,  and  thought 
it  almost  as  long  as  that  of  Corinth,  though  less  broad. 
It  appeared  to  be  nearly  uncultivated,  and  the  village  of 
St.  Basilius,  above  referred  to,  was  the  only  one  in 
sight.  We  next  cross  several  hills,  one  of  which  contains 
extensive  quarries  and  exhibits  the  ruts  of  wheels  worn 
in  the  rocks  marking  the  ancient  road  from  Corinth; 
and  soon  we  enter  the  little  plain  of  Nemea,  now 
without  a house,  or  inhabitant  save  only  a solitary  shep- 
herd and  his  flock.  Here  roamed  the  Nemean  lion, 
near  here  he  was  killed,  and  here  were  the  Nemean 
games.  What  we  took  for  the  Adrastean  fount  flows 
copiously  by  the  road-side  at  the  place  of  our  entrance. 
Three  lofty,  slender  Doric  columns  of  the  temple  of  Ju- 
piter stand  in  the  centre  of  the  plain,  with  a mass  of 
stones,  the  ruins  of  the  temple,  lying  with  great  regular- 
ity around.  The  stones  are  large.  From  above  the 
excavation  made  for  the  theatre  in  a hill-side  facing 
the  north,  Cyllene  is  seen  peering  over  mountains  of 
lesser  magnitude.  The  Nemean  river  is  here  only  a 
sluggish  brook  gliding  through  the  grass. 

Our  guide  told  us  he  was  a laborer  in  a vineyard  for 
twenty  paras  a day,  or  less  than  four  cents,  in  addition 
to  his  food.  If  he  provided  his  food,  his  wages  were 
doubled. 

Finding  the  day  too  far  spent  to  go  to  St.  George, 
we  returned.  On  our  way  through  Corinth  to  Hexamilia, 
we  stopped  a moment  at  our  late  quarters,  and  found  the 


CUSTOMS  ON  EASTER  SUNDAY.  61 

house  devoted  to  the  most  riotous  mirth.  The  custom 
of  the  Greeks  is  to  employ  Easter  Sunday,  which  is  the 
termination  of  their  long  fast  of  Lent,  and  the  two  fol- 
lowing days,  in  eating,  drinking  and  revelry.  Formerly 
they  were  in  the  habit  of  firing  pistols  and  guns  loaded 
with  balls,  to  the  great  hazard  of  all  who  appeared  in 
the  streets,  but  the  law  disarming  the  people,  or  perhaps 
some  statute  expressly  for  the  purpose,  has  happily  put 
an  end  to  this  barbarous  sport.  No  guns  were  fired  in 
our  hearing  during  the  day.  We  had  anticipated  no 
little  noise  on  Saturday  evening,  but  there  was  a perfect 
stillness,  and  it  appeared  that  the  people,  having  baked 
their  unleavened  bread,  made  their  sweetmeats,  boiled 
and  stained  their  eggs,s  and  gotten  everything  in  readi- 
ness for  the  morrow,  had  retired  early  to  sleep  as  a 
preparation  for  what  was  to  follow.  Soon  after  mid- 
night it  was  announced  that  the  Lord  had  risen,  and 
the  people  were  summoned  to  church,  where  mass  was 
celebrated  and  the  sacrament  in  both  kinds  received, 
before  any  were  allowed  to  break  their  fast.  The  in- 
habitants then  returned  to  their  homes,  and  everywhere 
commenced  the  eating  of  flesh.  In  the  morning  we  saw 
fires  kindled  in  the  open  air,  and  paschal  lambs  roasting 
whole  before  them  for  the  grand  feast  of -Easter.  At  a 
fire  in  the  rear  of  our  house,  there  was  a lamb  on  each 
side  turning  upon  a wooden  spit.  Men  and  women 
were  abroad  clad  in  their  most  showy  dresses,  and  one 
would  scarcely  have  imagined  that  most  of  them  emerg- 
ed that  morning  from  dirty  huts  and  caves.  Towards 
night  we  saw  companies  of  peasants  of  both  sexes 
dancing  in  the  fields,  as  thoughtless  and  happy  as  their 
flocks  on  the  neighboring  plain.  It  would  have  been 
gratifying  to  look  upon  these  poor  creatures,  since  none 
of  them  appeared  in  the  least  intoxicated,  could  we  have 
been  unmindful  of  the  day  they  were  profaning,  and  of 
their  ignorance  of  all  that  concerned  them  as  immortal 
beings.  Nor  was  it  possible  to  think  without  pain,  that 

(g)  Eggs,  boiled  hard  and  stained,  are  the  common  presents  on  Easter 
Sunday. 


6 


62 


ISTHMUS  OF  CORINTH. 


such  an  event  as  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
from  the  dead,  should  be  no  more  worthily  commemo- 
rated. 

The  distance  across  the  isthmus  of  Corinth  from  gulf 
to  gulf,  is  from  four  to  six  miles.  On  the  Peloponne- 
sian side,  it  is  bounded  by  a range  of  hills  extending 
from  Cenchrea  to  near  the  foot  of  the  Acrocorinthus, 
where  is  a pass.  On  the  opposite  side,  the  high  ridge 
of  Geranium  extends  from  shore  to  shore.  Though  not 
sufficiently  level  to  be  called  a continuous  plain,  none  of 
it  is  very  high,  and  nowhere  is  it  broken  by  a hill,  ex- 
cept on  the  gulf  of  Corinth  between  Cenchrea  and  port 
Schoenus.  It  contains  two  villages  called  Upper  and 
Lower  Hexamilia.  The  situation  of  the  former  is  open 
and  pretty,  on  a plain  of  about  the  same  elevation  with 
that  of  Corinth,  and  surrounded  by  a fertile  soil,  irrigat- 
ed by  a perennial  streamlet  of  excellent  water.  The 
war  demolished  its  houses,  and  scattered  or  killed  its 
inhabitants.  As  it  belonged,  with  the  adjoining  territory, 
to  Kamil  Bey,  it  has  become,  like  all  other  Turkish 
property,  a part  of  the  domains  of  the  Greek  govern- 
ment. And  by  a decree  of  this  government,  dated  May 
2,  1829,  five  thousand  stremmatah  of  this  part  of  the 
isthmus  were  fceded  to  Doct.  Howe,  for  five  years,  as 
agent  of  the  American  Greek  Committees.* 1  Upon  this 
territory  he  was  to  establish  a colony  of  such  Greek  fami- 
lies, as  have  been  deprived  by  the  revolution  of  home 
and  livelihood,  and  furnish  them,  by  means  deriv- 
ed from  America,  with  habitations,  seed-corn,  work- 
ing-cattle, and  agricultural  implements.  Each  fami- 
ly is  to  receive  an  assignment  of  so  much  land  as  will 
afford  a comfortable  maintenance,  and  the  whole  colony 
is  to  be  exempt  from  taxes  for  five  years.  The  tract 
of  land  selected  by  Doct.  Howe  embraces  the  port  of 
Cenchrea,  and  extends  far  over  towards  the  gulf  of 
Corinth. 


(h)  A stremma  is  about  two-thirds  of  an  acre. 

(i)  Greek  Gazette,  1829,  p.  123. 


AMERICAN  COLONY. 


63 


We  were  kindly  received  at  the  colony  by  Doct. 
Russ,  the  superintendent  in  the  absence  of  Doct. 
Howe,  and  lodged  among  barrels  of  meal  sent  from  our 
country  for  the  famishing  Greeks.  Early  the  next 
morning  we  were  awakened  by  numerous  female  voices 
before  the  door,  and  looking  out  saw  a great  number  of 
poor,  ragged  females,  who  had  come  from  the  neigh- 
borhood to  apply  for  work,  for  which  at  the  close  of  the 
day  they  receive  a small  portion  of  meal  in  payment. 
They  labor  upon  the  rubbish  of  the  ruined  village,  or  in 
the  fields;  and  it  was  affecting  to  observe  how  anxious 
they  were  to  obtain  this  privilege:  nor  was  it  less  so,  to 
behold  with  what  a glow  of  satisfaction  and  cheerfulness 
they  received  their  reward. 

The  colony  has  grown  out  of  the  experience  of  those 
who  have  had  most  to  do  in  distributing  the  charities  of 
our  American  people  among  the  Greeks.  They  are  of 
the  opinion,  that  less  good  is  effected  by  giving  a few 
pounds  of  meal  once  or  twice  to  many  individuals  scat- 
tered over  the  country,  without  requiring  any  return, 
than  by  conveying  the  means  of  sustenance  to  a smaller 
number  for  a considerable  period,  through  the  medium 
of  their  own  industry.  They  think  the  mode  of  dis- 
pensing charity  which  is  the  basis  of  the  colony,  is  less 
liable  to  abuse.  None  will  be  likely  to  apply,  except 
such  as  are  really  in  want,  and  willing  to  work;  and 
there  are  few  who  cannot  perform  some  kind  of  labor. 
The  habit  of  industry  is  also  cherished.  The  benefi- 
ciaries of  the  colony  are  said  to  be  more  contented  with 
what  they  receive,  than  such  as  are  assisted  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  a mere  gratuity,  and  quite  as  thankful  to  their 
good  friends  in  America.  About  100  poor  men,  wo- 
men, and  children  are  employed  daily  in  this  manner,  in 
addition  to  the  families  belonging  to  the  colony,  which, 
at  the  time  of  our  visit,  were  20  in  number,  and  mostly 
refugees  from  places  in  possession  of  the  Turks.  The 
superintendent  aims  to  set  an  example  of  a regularly 
built  village  and  of  well  cultivated  farms;  and  several 
houses  have  been  erected,  and  a quantity  of  ground  on 


64 


ISTHMIAN  TOWN  AND  WALL. 


the  site  of  the  ancient  Cenchrea  has  been  converted 
into  a plantation  of  cotton.J 

Nothing  remains  of  Cenchrea,  except  foundations 
of  houses,  and  a part  of  the  mole  that  defended  the 
harbor;  the  spot  is  uninhabited.  Calamaki,  farther 
east,  is  the  port  of  entry  for  the  head  of  the  gulf  of 
iEgina.  Our  road  to  this  place  led  along  a small  ridge 
of  rock  anciently  worked  as  a quarry.  The  ruins  of  the 
Isthmian  town  lay  on  our  way:  here  were  held  the  Isth- 
mian games.  Passing  these  ruins  we  crossed  the  re- 
mains of  the  famous  wall,  upon  which  have  been  employ- 
ed at  different  periods,  with  ages  intervening,  the  labors 
of  Grecian  states,  and  of  Greek  and  Roman  emperors, 
and  finally  of  Venetian  pride  and  ambition.  The  wall 
was  five  miles  in  extent,  and  crossed  the  isthmus.  This 
spot,  also,  is  at  present  deserted.  Calamaki  is  not  far 
distant,  and  has  only  a few  cottages.  Here  we  embarked 
for  the  island  of  iEgina,  and  arriving  too  late  to  go  on 
shore,  were  obliged  to  sleep  on  deck  in  a cold,  windy 
night,  amid  a crowd  of  Greeks.  The  next  day  we  pro- 
ceeded to  Poros,  and,  during  the  following  week,  saw 
much  of  Hydra  and  Spetsae. 

I leave  the  islands  of  the  Western  Sporades  to  be 
noticed  after  having  completed  our  miscellaneous  ob- 
servations upon  the  Peloponnesus. 


(j)  In  a letter  I received  from  Doct.  Howe  just  before  my  departure 
from  Greece,  dated  “ Washingtonia,  July  14,  1829,”  he  says: — 

“I  have  now  36  families  subsisting  here,  26  of  whom  are  from  parts  of 
Greece  now  subject  to  Turkey.  They  were  poor,  hungry  and  naked 
when  they  arrived;  they  are  now  thriving.  In  about  ten  days  I shall  dis- 
continue their  rations,  and  they  will  subsist  for  the  future  upon  what  they 
have  raised.  In  the  autumn,  I hope  to  put  50  families  to  work  sowing 
wheat.  If  Providence  smile  upon  them,  and  they  get  in  but  a moderate 
crop,  the  surplus,  after  enough  has  been  taken  for  their  own  subsistence, 
will  serve  for  establishing  several  other  families,  and  paying  the  yearly 
expenses  of  a hospital  for  50  beds.  In  ten  years,  these  poor  will  probably 
be  augmented  to  200  families,  or  1,000  souls;  a large  hospital  will  be  sup^ 
ported;  and  a useful  example  given  to  the  rest  of  Greece  of  improved 

agriculture. 1 may  add  one  thing,  that  the  people  of  the  surrounding 

villages  begin  to  appreciate  the  establishment.  Every  day  sick  per- 
sons are  sent  to  us,  sometimes  from  considerable  distances;  continual 
applications  are  made  by  peasants  to  become  members  of  the  colony;  and 
our  little  school  is  now  rapidly  filling  up  by  children  from  the  neighboring 
hamlets,  where  a school  was  perhaps  hardly  ever  thought  of.” 


HERMIONE. 


65 


On  the  morning  of  May  7th,  having  come  over  the 
preceding  evening  from  the  island  of  Hydra,  we  were 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  province  of  Argolis  on 
the  promontory  of  Hermione,  now  desolate,  but  once 
resplendent  with  temples  dedicated  perhaps  to  a dozen 
gods  and  goddesses.  Ancient  foundations  are  seen 
everywhere,  and  parts  of  the  ancient  city-walls  are 
found  around  the  modern  village  on  the  main  land. 
This  village  is  called  by  the  peasants  Castri,  but  the 
government  has  restored  the  ancient  name  of  Hermione. 
In  common  with  most  of  the  towns  on  the  Argolic 
peninsula,  it  escaped  the  visitations  of  the  enemy,  and 
the  houses,  about  250,  are  still  entire.  In  the  place  of 
streets,  there  are  narrow  passages  winding  among  the 
houses.  Some  years  ago  the  plague  carried  off  great 
numbers  of  the  inhabitants,  so  that  the  population  does 
not  now  exceed  700  or  800  souls.  On  each  side  of 
the  promontory  are  good  harbors,  from  which  beautiful 
plains  run  up,  separated  from  each  other  by  a hill  ex- 
tending in  the  direction  of  Cranidi.  Hermione  was  an- 
ciently celebrated  for  a cavern,  by  which  the  descent  to 
the  regions  of  Pluto  was  thought  to  be  remarkably  easy. 
We  saw  no  such  cavern;  but  our  guide,  wdio  had  heard 
nothing  of  the  story,  pointed  out  to  us  a place  in  the 
mountains  about  an  hour’s  ride  to  the  west,  where,  he 
said,  is  a cavern  with  steps  descending  into  it,  but  of 
unknown  depth,  as  a candle  will  not  burn  within,  and  of 
course  no  one  has  been  to  the  bottom.  Perhaps  the 
heathen  fable  originated  there. — We  left  the  village  about 
noon,k  riding  along  the  northern  side  of  the  hill,  with  the 
ruins  of  an  aqueduct  just  above  us.  The  plain  was  first 
covered  with  vines,  then  with  grain,  gradually  becoming 
narrower  till  we  arrived  at  the  considerable  town  of  Cra- 
nidi. Some  of  its  500  or  600  houses  were  new,  and  most 


(k)  I saw  a New  Testament  in  a coffee-house  in  Hermione,  printed  in 
Ancient  and  Modern  Greek,  that  had  perhaps  been  left  there  by  the  Rev, 
Mr.  Hartley,  of  the  English  Church  Missionary  Society,  who  was  at  Her’ 
mione  in  the  spring  of  1828. 

6* 


66 


CRANIDI TROE  ZEN. 


of  them  tiled.  The  summit  of  almost  every  hill  was 
crowned  with  a wind-mill:  from  one  position  I counted 
24.  Here  the  Greek  senate  was  convened  in  1823. 
The  bishop  of  the  diocess  resides  here,  and  we  observ- 
ed a commodious  house  erected  for  a Lancasterian 
school.  Large  as  this  place  is,  and  undisturbed  as  it 
was  by  the  war,  we  could  get  nothing  for  dinner  except 
a little  bread  and  some  poor  cheese.  No  inns  are  found 
in  this  part  of  Argolis,  and  the  few  coffee-shops  are  per- 
petually thronged  with  idlers  playing  at  cards,  an  amuse- 
ment than  which  nothing  can  be  more  common  or  open 
among  the  Greeks.  The  distance  from  Hermione  to 
Cranidi  is  about  five  miles;  and  from  Cranidi  to  its  port, 
called  Porto  Cheli,  four  and  a half.  From  thence  we 
proceeded  to  the  island  of  Spetsse. — On  our  return  to- 
wards iEgina,  we  stopped  at  the  island  of  Poros,  and 
made  observations  upon  the  opposite  shore  of  the  penin- 
sula. As  viewed  from  Poros,  it  presents  a long  range  of 
unsightly  mountains  advancing  to  the  shore  a little  to 
the  south  of  the  island,  but  to  the  northwest,  receding 
from  it  and  giving  room  to  a plain  that  extends  along 
the  harbor  of  Poros  quite  up  to  the  bay  of  Epidaurus. 
This  is  the  plain  of  Troezen.  The  ruins  of  the  ancient 
city  of  that  name,  lie  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  on  the 
southwest  side  of  the  plain.  Crossing  the  ferry  opposite 
Poros  on  the  11th  of  May,  Mr.  Smith  travelled  as  far 
up  this  plain  as  the  little  village  of  Damala,  near  the  site 
of  the  ancient  Troezen.  For  half  an  hour  his  road  led 
through  vineyards  and  among  large  fig-trees,  with  hills 
on  the  left  covered  with  the  olive;  then  through  a tract 
in  front  of  the  small  village  of  Apatha,  occupied  with 
fields  of  wheat  and  barley;  and  then  the  ground,  though 
watered  by  mountain  rivulets  and  ornamented  by  the 
rhododaphne,  lay  neglected  by  the  husbandman.  Troe- 
zen commanded  a fine  prospect  of  the  plain.  The  view 
of  the  Attic  coast  is  now  obstructed  by  the  dark,  volcanic 
promontory  of  Methana,  as  tall  as  Vesuvius,  but  formed 
within  the  knowledge  of  history.  Between  Troezen 
and  Damala  is  a mountain  torrent  in  a romantic  glen, 


COMMENCE  THE  PRINCIPAL  TOUR. 


67 


giving  motion  to  several  mills.  Just  above  the  mills, 
the  opposite  precipices  approach  very  near,  and  are  con- 
nected by  a bridge  of  one  small  arch,  across  which  lies 
a long  trough  of  Poros  volcanic  granite,  shewing  that  it 
was  once  part  of  an  aqueduct.  Time  has  so  cement- 
ed the  stones  of  the  arch,  that  it  looks  like  a work  of 
nature.  The  overhanging  rocks,  the  foaming  waters  in 
the  deep  abyss,  and  the  other  surrounding  objects,  are 
highly  grand  and  impressive.  Descending,  Mr.  Smith 
found  grottos  hung  with  stalactites,  and  one  of  the  lofty 
precipices  seemed  to  be  composed  of  them.  A part  of 
the  river  here  enters  a natural  orifice  in  the  rock,  and 
then  issues  and  descends  to  turn  the  mills  below. 
Troezen  gives  name  to  the  third  Grecian  Congress, 
which,  somewhere  in  this  vicinity,  elected  Capo  d’  Is- 
trias  President  of  Greece  for  the  term  of  seven  years. 

The  time  from  the  13th  to  the  25th  of  May  we  spent 
at  iEgina,  making  inquiries  of  which  the  principal  re- 
sults- will  be  given  when  I speak  of  the  state  and  pros- 
pects of  education  in  Greece.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
having  received  letters  to  men  most  likely  to  favor  our 
object  in  different  parts  of  the  Peloponnesus,  and  also  a 
circular  from  Mr.  Tricoupis,  Foreign  Secretary  of  the 
Greek  government,  commending  us  to  the  provincial 
authorities,  we  entered  upon  our  principal  tour  in  the 
peninsula.  Knowing  the  country  to  be  almost  literally 
destitute  of  houses,  we  had  procured  a cotton  tent  at 
iEgina  sufficiently  large  to  accommodate  ourselves  and 
baggage.  Our  interpreter  had  liberty  to  sleep  in  it,  but  he 
often  chose  to  spend  the  night  with  the  muleteers  under 
the  open  heavens,  which  at  this  season  are  beautifully 
clear.  We  carried  utensils  for  cooking,  and  certain  ar- 
ticles of  food,  as  coffee,  tea,  sugar,  rice  and  ham.  In 
addition  to  our  interpreter,  we  took  a man  to  look  after 
our  baggage,  who  was  willing  to  attend  us  and  provide 
his  own  food  for  four  dollars  a month.  The  animals 
we  rode  were  usually  mules,  accoutered  with  a rope 
halter  for  a bridle,  a pack-saddle  of  rude  frame-work, 


68 


MANNER  OF  TRAVELLING, 


and  cord  for  stirrups.  Throwing  our  capotes  across  the 
saddle  and  whatever  else  we  had  to  render  the  seat 
tolerable,  we  moved  on  in  a moderate  walk,  and  in  In- 
dian file,  with  a muleteer  on  foot  before  to  lead  the  way, 
and  others  behind  to  urge  on  the  caravan.  Mr.  Smith 
or  myself  rode  first,  as  we  found  the  one  or  the  other 
had  the  freest  animal,  and  our  interpreter  kept  near  us 
to  perform  the  duties  of  his  office.  The  servant  saw 
that  the  baggage  was  neither  stolen,  nor  lost;  and  it  is 
due  to  his  carefulness  or  to  the  honesty  of  the  Greeks, 
to  say,  that  not  an  article  was  missing  at  the  end  of  the 
journey.  When  we  wished  to  encamp,  we  inquired 
for  water,  grass,  and  a sheep-fold.  Having  found  these, 
or  at  least  the  two  former,  our  tent  was  pitched,  our 
strong  wooden  chests  were  so  laid  as  to  serve  for  tables, 
and  our  beds  spread  on  the  ground.  Pilaf  was  made  of 
the  rice,  and  the  occasional  addition  of  an  egg  rendered 
this  dish  quite  a luxury.1 * * 4  Our  bread  was  often  old  and 
dry,  and  was  never  very  white,  though  commonly  made 
of  wheat  and  palatable.  Once  or  twice  it  was  made 
simply  of  barley,  and  then  it  was  coarse,  black  and 
heavy.  In  all  the  Arcadian  region  we  were  generally 
able  to  obtain  the  milk  of  ewes,  or  goats,  but  we  saw 
no  cows.  The  shepherds  frequently  supplied  us  with  a 
preparation  they  call  yagourte.  It  is  the  leben  mention- 
ed by  our  missionaries  in  Syria,  and  is  milk  coagulated 
in  a particular  manner,™  and  soon  rendered  agreeable  , 
by  use.  Meat  we  could  seldom  get.  Our  diet  was 
necessarily  simple,  but  we  fared  better  than  we  had  rea- 
son to  expect,  and  never  went  long  hungry.  Perhaps 
I ought  to  add,  that  we  travelled  in  respectable  style, 
such  as  gave  us  admission  to  any  society  we  wished  to 
enter. 


(l)  Pilaf  is  rice  boiled  with  a little  meat,  or  butter. 

(m)  The  monks  at  the  convent  of  Megaspelseon  said  the  yagourte  was 
prepared  in  the  following  manner;  viz.  (1.)  Warm  a little  milk.  (2.)  Put 

in  a small  quantity  of  flour  and  lemon  juice.  (3.)  Boil  the  composition. 

(4)  Roil  such  a quantity  of  milk  as  is  thought  proper.  (5)  Put  into  it  a 
small  quantity  of  the  previous  compound,  and  let  this  new  one  stand 
twelve  hours. 


EPIDAURUS. 


69 


We  commenced  this  tour  at  Epidaurus,  which  lies  at 
the  extremity  of  a deep  bay  opposite  iEgina.  Into  this 
bay  projects  a small  promontory,  now  cultivated  with 
grain,  on  which  stood  the  ancient  city.  The  main  land 
is  skirted  by  a narrow  tract  remarked  by  Homer 
for  the  fertility  of  its  vines.  The  harbor  and  village 
are  north  of  the  promontory.  Owing  to  the  an- 
cient celebrity  of  Epidaurus,  it  gave  name  to  the  first 
Grecian  Congress,  though  that  assembly  was  held  at  the 
village  of  Piada,  over  the  hills  to  the  north.  Between 
the  mountains  that  environ  Epidaurus  on  three  sides, 
there  is  a long  pass,  through  which  runs  the  road  to 
Nauplion.  We  travelled  at  first  along  a narrow  valley 
with  fields  of  wheat — always  a delightful  sight,  but  never 
so  delightful  to  me  as  while  T was  among  the  hungry 
poor  of  Greece.  The  harvest  season  had  come,  and 
the  reapers  were  gathering  in  the  fruits  of  their  labors, 
with  females  gleaning  after  them,  as  in  the  days  of  Boaz. 
Here  we  saw  Indian  corn,  or  maize,  now  two  or  three 
inches  high,  irrigated  by  a little  stream  the  waters  of 
which  turn  several  mills.  The  valley  contracts  at  length 
into  a rough  glen,  filled  with  the  lentiscus,  myrtle,  arbu- 
tus, oleaster,  rododaphne,  and  other  shrubs.  The  myr- 
tle is  a beautiful  object,  and  so  is  the  rhododaphne  when 
in  bloom.  After  four  or  five  miles,  we  sent  our  bag- 
gage on  in  the  common  route  to  Nauplion  by  the  foot  of 
mount  Arachnseum,  while  we  turned  to  the  left  through 
a narrow  defile  leading  to  the  ancient  Grove  of  iEscu- 
lapius.  The  scenery  at  the  separation  of  the  two  roads 
is  highly  picturesque.  Mountains  tower  on  all  sides, 
as  if  to  shut  up  the  traveller  to  the  contemplation  of  the 
works  of  God;  nor  was  there  any  noise,  save  the  rip- 
pling of  the  stream  below  and  the  singing  of  birds 
around.  At  length  we  emerged  into  pasture  lands,  and 
were  soon  at  the  spot  now  called  lero , once  occupied 
by  a grove  sacred  to  iEsculapius,  to  which  invalids  and 
votaries  of  pleasure  resorted  from  all  parts  of  ancient 
Greece,  as  to  modern  watering-places,  both  for  healing 
and  for  amusement.  It  is  an  irregular  valley  surround- 


70  GROVE  OF  iESGULAPIUS. 

ed  by  bare  and  bleak  mountains,  without  inhabitant 
and  without  cultivation.  The  baths  are  broken  and 
empty.  There  are  foundations,  but  all  without  a su- 
perstructure. The  theatre,  however,  is  nearly  entire* 
and  is  now,  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Pausanias,  the  finest 
specimen  of  the  kind  in  the  Peloponnesus;  indeed  it  is  a 
striking  monument  of  the  luxury  of  Greece  at  the  pe- 
riod of  its  erection.  It  is  built  on  the  side  of  a hill  fac- 
ing the  north,  and  most  of  the  seats,  composed  of  the 
pink-colored  marble  said  to  be  found  near  the  spot,  are 
still  in  their  places.  According  to  the  measurements  of 
travellers  who  had  gone  before  us,  the  sweep  of  the 
lowest  seat  is  more  than  half  round  a circle  105  feet  in 
diameter.  Above  this  rise  54  seats  to  an  elevation  of 
more  than  60  feet,  gradually  expanding  until  the  diam- 
eter is  prolonged  to  nearly  400  feet.  Yet,  as  we  ascer- 
tained by  experiment,  conversation  in  the  ordinary  tones 
is  perfectly  easy  between  persons  standing  in  the  high- 
est and  lowest  parts  of  this  structure,  so  vast  that  it 
would  seat  12,000  persons.  Where  the  sacred  stream 
once  flowed  in  front  of  the  theatre,  there  was  now  no 
water. 

We  remained  an  hour  on  these  grounds,  and  then 
proceeded  through  an  opening  in  the  hills  on  the  north- 
west, across  the  boundaries  of  the  ancient  Epidaurian 
territory  into  the  valley  of  the  modern  Ligurion.11  The 
ground  is  merely  undulating,  so  that  the  sick  might  have 
resorted  to  the  grove  in  chariots  if  they  chose.  The 
eastern  extremity  of  the  vale  is  considerably  cultivated, 
and  contains  three  small  villages  named  Coroni,  Peri, 
and  Ligurion,  of  which  the  last  is  the  principal  one, 
with  about  50  families.  It  had  been  plundered  by  the 
Turks,  and  was  the  first  place  in  this  part  of  Argolis 
where  we  discovered  traces  of  the  war. 

About  ten  miles  from  this  place,  the  plain  of  Argos  is 
in  sight,  and  at  dark  we  pitched  our  tent  beneath  the 


(n)  Paus.  B.  2,  c.  25,  26, 


*PLAIN  of  akgos. 


71 


precipices  and  battlements  of  the  Palamidi,  outside  of 
the  walls  of  Nauplion. 

The  finest  view  of  the  Argolic  plain  is  from  the  cas- 
tle above  the  city  of  Argos.  It  there  appears  almost  a 
perfect  level,  composed  of  the  richest  soil,  and  extend- 
ing perhaps  a dozen  miles  from  the  head  of  the  Argolic 
gulf.  One  may  see  from  thence  the  whole  surface. 
Directly  below,  appears  the  city  of  Argos,  fast  rising 
from  desolation,  with  its  earth-colored  houses  scattered 
over  a large  surface.  Its  environs  are  ornamented  with 
gardens,  and  enlivened  by  numerous  threshing-floors, 
on  each  of  which  six  or  eight  horses  abreast  whirl  round 
a pole,  treading  out  the  new  wheat.  The  golden  har- 
vest covers  nearly  half  the  plain,  and  the  reapers  are 
abroad,  both  male  and  female,  cheering  their  labors 
with  the  gay  tones  of  the  harvest  song.  Behind  them 
follow  the  widow  and  orphan  in  silence,  gleaning  a mere 
pittance,  but  sweet  to  a mouth  that  for  months  has  per- 
haps tasted  nothing  but  herbs  and  grass.  On  the  right, 
is  a large  cluster  of  vineyards,  and  beyond  them  the  an- 
cient haunts  of  the  Lernaean  Hydra.  Nauplion  is  on 
the  other  side  of  the  gulf.  The  solitary  Tiryns  rises 
from  the  central  part  of  the  plain,  with  its  Cyclopean 
works  coeval,  perhaps,  with  the  pyramids  of  Egypt. 
Northeast  you  see  the  deserted  relicts  of  the  city  of  Pe- 
lops;  and  further  north,  the  pass  of  Dervenaki,  where  a 
Turkish  army,  not  long  since,  entered  the  very  jaws  of 
death.0  West  of  north  glitter  the  snows  of  Arcadian 
Cyllene  in  a summer’s  sun.  And  now  your  eye  follows 
die  streamless  bed  of  the  “great  Inachus”  from  the 
mountains  down  eastward  of  Argos  to  the  gulf,  whose 
blue  waters,  a league  distant,  stretch  off  to  the  south. — ■ 
Such  are  some  of  the  objects  seen  from  the  acropolis 
of  Argos  and  connected  with  its  plain;  and  more  ancient 


(o)  The  arm}'  of  the  Pasha  of  Drama.  Niketas,  who  commanded 
the  Greeks,  estimated  the  slaughter  of  the  Turks  before  the}'  reached  the 
plain  of  Corinth,  at  6,000. — Mr.  Hartley’s  Journal , London  Miss.  Res:.  for 
1830,  p.  228. 


72 


NAUPLION. 


associations  of  a classical  nature,  Greece  nowhere  af- 
fords. 

Nauplion  is  a walled  city,  built  on  an  eminence  pro- 
jecting into  the  gulf.  The  celebrated  fortress  of  the 
Palamidi  crowns  a rock  just  without  the  gates.1’  The 
ascent  to  this  fortress  is  extremely  fatiguing,  and  it  has 
the  appearance  of  great  strength.  It  commands  the 
fortress  within  the  city,  and  of  course  the  city  and  har- 
bor. The  lion  of  St.  Mark  is  still  upon  the  walls  of 
Nauplion,  reminding  the  inhabitant  and  the  stranger  of 
its  Venetian  origin.  It  was  taken  from  Venice  the  last 
time,  by  the  Turks,  in  1714,  and  before  the  revolution 
was  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  important  places  in 
the  Morea,  containing  a population  of  about  4,000 
Greeks,  Jews,  and  Turks,  of  whom  the  last  were  the 
most  numerous.  In  1823  it  surrendered  to  the  Greeks, 
and  was  ever  after  retained  by  them.  It  was  generally 
the  seat  of  government,  and,  not  long  since,  was  crowd- 
ed with  diseased  and  famishing  refugees  from  the  hor- 
rors of  war.  Notwithstanding  the  assaults  which  the 
rebel  Gribas  made  upon  the  town,  and  the  usual  excess- 
es committed  by  the  Greeks  upon  Turkish  property,  its 
walls  and  houses  compare  well  with  those  of  Mothone 
and  Corone,  of  which  the  Turks  had  constant  posses- 
sion. Its  present  population  may  be  4,000  or  5,000, 
and  from  its  maritime  situation,  its  great  natural  strength, 
and  its  connection  with  the  Argolic  plain,  it  must  ever 
be  an  important  city  of  Greece.  Its  present  unhealthiness, 
arising  from  the  want  of  a free  circulation,  and  from  the 
exhalations  of  the  neighboring  marshes,  may  easily  be 
mitigated,  if  not  removed.  We  found  here  the  best  in- 
structed Lancasterian  school  in  the  Peloponnesus,  em- 
bracing 130  pupils,  of  whom  a part  were  girls.  It  owes 
its  superiority  to  Niketoplos,  now  head-master  of  the 
orphan  school  at  iEgina. 


(p)  This  rock  is  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  metres,  or  740  feet  high. 
Greek  Gazette. — From  the  Palamidi,  the  Astros  promontory  bore  S.  25 
W.j  Lerna  N.  80  W.j  Argos  N.  3 W.j  Tiryns  N.  10  E. 


TIRYNS MYCENiE. 


73 


Tiryns  came  into  our  route  from  Nauplion  to  Argos, 
and  is  remarkable  for  being  a fine  specimen  of  the  most 
ancient  and  gigantic  Cyclopean  walls  in  Greece.  They 
surround  a small,  low  hill,  and  are  probably  in  the  same 
state  as  they  were  before  the  Christian  era.  Their 
structure  is  the  same  with  that  of  the  common  stone 
wall  of  our  own  country,  but  the  rocks  composing 
them  are  of  enormous  size.q 

The  ruins  of  Mycenae  lie  east  of  the  road  from  Argos 
to  Corinth,  just  as  it  leaves  the  plain  to  enter  the  pass  of 
Dervenaki.  What  interested  me  more  than  anything 
else  at  Mycenae,  was  the  gate-way,  which  still  remains 
as  when  Agamemnon  issued  from  it  for  the  conquest  of 
Troy.  Two  parallel  walls,  built  in  the  rough  Tiryn- 
thian  style,  run  outward  fifty  feet  from  the  gate,  at  a dis- 
tance of  about  thirty  feet  from  each  other.  It  was  in 
such  a place  as  this  that  markets  were  held  in  ancient 
times,  and  here  were  the  courts  of  judicature.1*  My- 
cenae has  been  desolate  more  than  2,000  years,  and  the 
massy,  subterranean  treasury  of  Perseus,  not  far  from 
his  citadel,  is  open  to  gvntily  the  frfkmrwg  curiosity  of 
every  paraing  traveller. 

Argos  is  two  hours  from  Mycenae.  It  was  now  har- 
vest, though  the  summer  had  not  fully  come;  illustrating 
the  order  of  events  in  that  affecting  lamentation  of  the 
prophet,  “The  harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and 
we  are  not  saved. ”s  We  heard  the  lively  voices  of  the 
females  in  the  fields:  they  reminded  me  of  the  com- 
parison, by  which  the  prophet  illustrates  the  happiness 
of  Messiah’s  reign;  “They  joy  before  thee  according 
to  the  joy  in  harvest.”1  At  that  time  and  place  it  had 
peculiar  force. 


(q)  This  is  the  most  ancient  order  of  Cyclopean  workmanship.  It  is 
often  called  the  Tirynthian  style.  A second  order,  is  that  of  well-joined 
polygons.  The  stones  of  this  order  are  so  far  wrought  as  to  be  adjusted 
to  each  other.  From  the  polygonal  masonry  there  is  a gradual  progress 
to  that  in  which  the  courses  are  all  horizontal  and  equal  in  height,  and  the 
stones  all  rectangular. 

(r)  2 Kings  vii,  18;  Deut.  xxi,  19;  xxii,  15;  xxv,  7;  Job  xxix,  7. 

(s)  Jer.  viii,  20.  (t)  Isa.  ix,  3. 


74 


ARGOS. 


It  was  near  mid-day  when  we  first  entered  Argos,  on 
our  way  from  Nauplion.  The  city  has  a pretty  ap- 
pearance as  we  approach,  owing  to  its  gardens  already 
mentioned,  which  must  have  given  it  a charming  aspect 
before  the  revolution.  It  then  contained  5,000  or  6,000 
inhabitants,  of  whom  nearly  all  were  Greeks,  and  it  was 
governed  by  a Bey,  who  had  40  villages  under  him. 
Three-fifths  of  the  ground  covered  by  the  city  is  said  to 
have  been  owned  by  the  Greeks.  The  houses  are 
generally  of  one  story,  and  are  built  of  bricks  hardened 
in  the  sun.  In  the  manufacture  of  these  bricks  there  is 
a plentiful  intermixture  of  straw,  or  of  stubble.  This 
part  of  Greece  was  originally  settled  by  an  Egyptian 
colony,  and  Mr.  Smith  observed  the  same  intermixture 
in  the  bricks  used  in  the  construction  of  Egyptian  villa- 
ges; so  that  the  town  of  Argos  probably  resembles  the 
“treasure-cities,”  which  the  Israelites  built  for  Pharaoh. 
The  bazar  (or  place  of  trade)  has  much  of  a business 
aspect,  and  Argos  contains  at  present  a population  of  not 
less  than  8,000  souls.  The  Albanian  language  is  used 
to  a considerable  extent  in  common  discourse,  and  they 
say  this  is  true  of  15  or  20  villages  on  the  plain.u  In 
the  southern  towns  of  Argolis,  and  on  the  neighboring 
islands  of  Spetsae,  Hydra  and  Poros,  this  language  is 
still  more  extensively  employed,  but  with  too  little  puri- 
ty to  make  the  Albanian  version  of  the  New  Testament 
very  intelligible  to  the  people.  The  modern  Greek  lan- 
guage, however,  is  understood  by  nearly  all  the  inhabi- 
tants, whatever  be  their  descent. — At  Argos  there  is  a 
considerable  school  for  mutual  instruction,  taught  by  two 
brothers,  Cretans,  who  learned  the  method  at  Cerigo. 
We  saw  more  than  200  boys  crowded  into  a small  room. 
One  of  the  brothers  accompanied  us  to  a school  of  20 
girls  instructed  by  his  mother.  Here  we  found  a spell- 
ing-book in  use,  that  was  issued  from  our  press  at  Malta. 
On  coming  out  of  this  school,  what  was  our  surprise  to 


(u)  The  population  of  Argos,  in  1805,  is  said  by  Dr.  Clarke  to  have 
been  composed  chiefly  of  Albanian  peasants. 


FUNERAL  AND  MARRIAGE  PROCESSIONS. 


75 


find  the  boys  of  the  other  arrayed  in  two  lines  from  the 
door  for  us  to  pass  between  them.  It  was  a mark  of 
respect  paid  to  us  as  friends  of  education  in  Greece. 
The  teachers  were  anxious  for  school-books,  as  their 
pupils  were  very  poorly  supplied. 

The  importance  of  Argos  may  be  inferred  from  the 
number  of  people  already  assembled  in  the  place,  and 
from  its  being  selected  for  the  meeting  of  the  4th  Con- 
gress, which  held  its  sessions  in  the  ancient  theatre 
situated  at  the  foot  of  the  castle  hill.  The  citadel  is  a 
Venetian  structure,  built  on  foundations  of  the  polygonal 
order. 

While  at  Argos,  I saw,  on  the  same  day,  a corpse 
carried  to  the  grave,  and  a newly  married  bride  brought 
home  from  the  country;  but  had  been  too  much  lamed 
by  a fall  from  my  horse  to  follow  them.  The  corpse 
was  accompanied  by  a number  of  priests  chanting  in  a 
low  tone.  These  were  silently  attended,  first  by  a com- 
pany of  men,  then  by  another  of  women,  all  walking 
without  any  order.  This  was  in  the  town. — The  mar- 
riage procession  I saw  as  I was  alone  on  a hill  north  of 
the  city.  First  came  a man  on  foot,  bearing  a white 
flag  embroidered  with  silver;  then  a palikari  (one  of  the 
irregular  soldiery)  with  his  gun,  I suppose  as  a guard  of 
honor;  then  two  men  on  horseback,  of  whom  the  second 
was  the  bridegroom.  Immediately  after  followed  the 
bride,  also  on  horseback,  riding  in  the  manner  of  the 
country,  (which  is  the  same  for  men  and  women,) 
covered  almost  entirely  by  a thin,  black  veil,  and  bow- 
ing to  every  person  she  met  as  she  descended  towards 
the  town.  Another  man,  probably  a relative,  on  horse- 
back, closed  the  procession. 

We  left  Argos  on  Monday,  June  2,  where  we  had  met 
with  very  kind  treatment  from  several  persons,  and 
especially  from  Antonopulos,  who  was  there,  I think,  as 
one  of  the  judges  in  the  Court  of  Final  Appeal,  and 
manifested  quite  a paternal  interest  in  our  welfare. 
Our  road  led  by  the  fountain  of  Erasmus,  and  the  marsh 
of  Lerna.  The  vineyards,  already  mentioned  as  in  this 


76 


MARSH  OF  LERNA. 


part  of  the  plain,  are  watered  by  means  of  little  artifi- 
cial canals  connected  with  the  fountain.  The  Erasinus 
is  a considerable  stream,  bursting  out  at  the  foot  of  a 
hill,  giving  motion  to  a number  of  mills,  and  irrigating 
some  hundred  acres  of  the  plain.  It  was  anciently  and 
is  now  believed  to  be  the  outlet  of  lake  Stymphalus, 
nearly  25  miles  distant  in  the  mountains  of  Arcadia.v 
In  the  hill,  just  above  the  fountain,  is  an  extensive-  and 
lofty  cave  containing  a little  church  dedicated  to  some 
Greek  saint. 

The  marsh  of  Lerna  is  directly  opposite  Nauplion, 
and  contains  a small  pond  nearly  concealed  by  rushes. 
Here  is  another  copious  fountain,  supplied,  perhaps, 
from  the  same  great  reservoir;  and  a wall  along  the 
sea  raises  the  water  to  such  a power,  that  five  millstones 
were  turning  while  we  were  there.  The  Hydra  of  Gre- 
cian fablew  was  probably  not  confined  to  this  little 
pond,  as  the  ground  for  a considerable  distance  north- 
ward is  little  better  than  a marsh. 

From  the  mills  the  road  passes  over  a mountainous 
tract  not  susceptible  of  tillage,  and  quite  uninteresting 
except  from  its  agreeable  coolness  compared  with  the 
temperature  of  the  plains.  At  the  highest  point,  the  eye 
commands  an  extensive  prospect  southward  towards 
the  province  of  Agios  Petros,  over  mountains  of  such 
varying  forms  as  to  resemble  the  waves  of  a stormy 
ocean  suddenly  arrested.  Four  hours  and  a half  from 
the  mills  we  look  down  upon  a little  valley,  or  plain, 
now  called  Achladocampon,  and  anciently  Hysiae.  It 
seems  a perfect  level,  and  with  its  cultivation  presents 
a beautiful  contrast  to  the  rough  mountain  scenery 
around.  The  remains  of  an  ancient  acropolis  appear 
below  us,  marking,  perhaps,  the  site  of  the  town  of  Hy- 
feiss,  which  is  mentioned  by  Pausanias  as  being  in  ruins 
on  the  road  between  Argos  and  Tegea,  and  originally 


(v)  Paus.  B.  2,  c.  24. 

(w)  Hydra — supposed  to  be  derived  from  T water,  and  to  mean  a 
lake  with  numerous  springs  or  heads. 


ENTER  ARCADIA. 


77 


forming  a part  of  Argolis.x  Crossing  this  valley,  we 
are  conducted,  by  a steep,  zigzag  pathway,  up  a long, 
narrow  ravine  beneath  threatening  precipices,  to  the  top 
of  the  Parthenion  ridge.  This  mountain  was  the 
boundary  between  Argolis  and  Arcadia,  and  it  still  re- 
tains its  ancient  name.  It  forms  a continuous  chain  with 
the  mountains  on  the  eastern  side  of  Laconia.  The 
pass  we  now  ascend  is  in  some  places  impressively  wild, 
and  must  be  easy  of  defence  against  an  enemy  coming 
from  the  eastward. 


(x)  Paus.  B.  2,  c.  24. 


7* 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  PELOPONNESUS. 


Province  of  Arcadia — First  appearance  of  Arcadia — A Grecian  lady — Plain  of 
Tegea— Tripolitsa — Gipsies— School — Route  to  Calabryta— Plain  of  Mantinea 
— Subterranean  passages  for  water — Plain  of  Orchomenus — Plain  of  Dara — 
Branch  of  the  Ladon — Beautiful  glen — Another  branch  of  the  Ladon  and 
charming  plain— Elevated^  ites  of  villages — Romantic  dell — Plain  of  Cat- 
sanes— Manner  of  ploughing  and  iriigating  the  ground  and  cultivating  Indian 
ccrn — Ascend  to  the  plain  of  Soudena — Southern  limits  of  the  modern  Achaia 
— One  of  the  capitani — Influence  of  elevation  on  climate — Magnificent 
scene — Oalabryta — Route  to  the  Convent  of  Megaspelsson — Description  of  the 
Convent,  with  its  recent  history — Plains  on  the  river  of  Calabryta — Extent  of 
arable  ground— Ascent  of  mount  Erymanthus — Valley  of  the.  Erymanthus — 
Psophis— Enter  Elis  again — Dibris — JN'ew  aspect  of  the  country. 

Entering  Arcadia  in  the  most  favorable  season  of  the 
year,  (the  month  of  June,)  our  first  introduction  made 
impressions  upon  our  minds  according  well  with  its 
ancient  celebrity;  and  these  impressions  were  sustained 
by  a more  perfect  acquaintance.  After  climbing  moun- 
tains for  many  hours,  we  had  looked  forward  for  a cor- 
responding descent  on  reaching  the  top  of  Parthenium. 
But,  to  our  surprise,  we  found  ourselves  just  on  the  edge 
of  a verdant  plain,  not  less  than  2,000  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea:a  it  was  the  plain  of  Tegea.  We  enter- 
ed near  its  eastern  end,  almost  opposite  the  little  village 
of  Bretsoba.  The  heights  around,  as  viewed  from  the 
plain,  seemed  to  be  only  hills;  but  a peculiar,  naked  as- 
pect shewed  that  they  were  in  fact  the  summits  of 
mountains.  Of  our  elevation  we  had  another  evidence 
in  the  change  of  climate.  In  the  morning,  the  wheat 
was  lying  on  the  threshing  floors  of  Argos,  and  the 
grass  was  parched  and  withering  on  the  neighboring 


(a)  Tripolitsa  is  about  680  metres,  or  2,225  feet. — Gr.  Gazette . 


FIRST  APPEARANCE  OF  ARCADIA. 


79 


plain:  here,  at  night,  the  wheat  was  scarcely  out  of  the 
blossom,  and  fresh  verdure  covered  the  ground.  A raw 
wind,  too,  sunk  the  thermometer  to  58  degrees,  while  at 
Argos  it  was  probably  at  70  degrees.  In  fact,  the  snow 
often  lies  deep  on  this  plain  for  successive  days  in  win- 
ter, and  the  mountains  are  covered  with  it  as  late  as  the 
month  of  March  or  April. 

Were  it  not  for  our  tent,  we  should  have  been  poorly 
lodged  at  night;  for  it  rained,  and  the  wife  of  a rich 
Greek  of  Calamata,  with  her  numerous  train,  occupied 
the  khan,  the  only  house  in  the  vicinity.  She  had  pass- 
ed us  during  the  afternoon,  arrayed  in  a rich  and  showy 
dress,  and  riding  a spirited  white  horse  of  noble  ap- 
pearance, which  she  managed  with  admirable  self-pos- 
session and  skill.  Her  two  children  were  carried  each 
by  a woman  on  horseback.  One  was  an  Unweaned 
babe,  and  we  overtook  her  in  the  Parthenion  pass,  while 
she  was  nursing  the  little  creature  upon  the  ground. 

The  next  morning  was  serene.  Almost  the  only 
clouds  were  hovering  mysteriously  on  distant  summits. 
The  air  was  bracing,  and  cheering  to  the  spirits,  like 
many  of  our  own  mornings  in  June  and  we  pleased 
ourselves  by  tracing  resemblances  to  our  beloved  New- 
England.  My  companion  had  spent  several  years  in 
the  Mediterranean,  had  travelled  in  Egypt  and  Pales- 
tine, and  climbed  the  heights  of  Lebanon;  but  without 
having  seen  the  white  clover,  so  common  in  our  New- 
England  pastures.  It  covered  this  Arcadian  plain;  and 
that,  with  a few  yellow  spires  of  the  mullen  blossom 
among  the  rocks,  threw  him  into  a revery,  in  which  I 
found  he  was  living  over  again  the  days  of  childhood, 
when,  with  a basket  on  his  arm,  he  used  to  wander 
over  the  hills  of  Connecticut  gathering  these  humble 
ornaments  of  a New-England  spring.  My  own  ear  was 
at  the  same  time  arrested  by  the  distant  notes  of  a 
shepherd’s  pipe,  all  in  unison  with  the  sensations  of  my 
mind. 

The  direction  of  the  plain  is  nearly  east  and  west. 
Our  path  lay  between  its  north  side,  and  the  empty  bed 


80 


TRIPOLITSA. 


of  a stream,  which  conducts  the  superfluous  waters  of 
winter  into  a subterraneous  chasm  near  Bretsoba.  Two 
little  villages  stand  on  the  hill  at  our  right;  but  this  hill 
ceases  after  an  hour,  and  the  plain,  extending  to  the 
north,  unites  with  that  of  Mantinea.  On  the  south  it 
widens  very  much  and  becomes  undulating.  Our  course 
now  turns  northwestward  over  the  plain,  and  af- 
ter two  hours  more  we  enter  the  ruins  of  Tripolitsa,  the 
Turkish  capital  of  the  Morea.  The  plain,  therefore,  in 
the  direction  we  took,  cannot  be  less  than  nine  miles, 
and  it  is  almost  wholly  given  over  to  pasturage.  The 
ruins  of  the  ancient  Tegea  we  did  not  see:  they  are 
said  to  be  an  hour  east  of  Tripolitsa. 

Tripolitsa  is  situated  on  the  northwestern  edge  of  the 
plain.  A range  of  hills  rises  just  back  of  it  extending 
to  the  northeast,  and  almost  separating  the  Tegean  and 
Mantinean  plains.  Still  back  of  them  are  the  high 
peaks  of  Alonistena,  (probably  the  ancient  Alesion,)  one 
of  which  retained  some  snow.  The  city  contained  about 
4,500  houses  before  the  war,  of  which  half  were  Tur- 
kish. Here  was  the  general  residence  of  the  Pasha  of 
the  Morea,  and  the  part  that  was  occupied  by  his  serag- 
lio is  said  now  to  be  held  in  great  abhorrence  by  the 
neighboring  peasantry.  The  city  was  enclosed  by  a 
wall  of  Albanian  origin,  built  less  than  a century  ago. 
Not  long  after  the  revolution  commenced,  when  Tripo- 
litsa was  thronged  with  Turks  and  Jews,  fled  thither 
from  almost  all  the  unfortified  parts  of  the  Morea,  it  was 
taken  and  sacked  by  the  Greeks.  A regard  for  their 
character,  and  for  human  nature  itself,  inspires  a wish  to 
draw  a veil  over  that  horrid  scene,  which  was  stained 
with  all  the  enormities  of  a servile  war.  The  town  was 
immediately  afterwards  filled,  it  is  said,  with  a Greek 
population  of  nearly  30,000  souls,  all  of  whom  fled  with 
the  greatest  precipitation  on  the  approach  of  Ibrahim, 
the  Egyptian  pasha,  in  1825.  He  made  it  a military 
depot,  and  kept  possession  until  February  1828.  Then, 
coming  in  person  from  the  fortresses  of  Messenia,  with 
his  ferocious  mind  not  yet  quieted  after  the  destruction 


TRIPOLITSA. 


81 


of  his  fleet  at  Navarino,  he  razed  it  to  the  ground. 
Taking  an  axe  he  struck  the  first  blow  with  his  owm 
hand.  The  wall  was  levelled  all  around  to  within  three 
or  four  feet  of  the  ground,  the  citadel  was  blown  up,  and 
mosques,  churches,  khans,  and  other  public  buildings 
were  demolished.  Having  done  this  as  a regular  work 
by  his  army,  and  a part  of  it  to  the  sound  of  the  drum, 
he  made  a solemn  prayer  accompanied  with  discharge 
of  guns,  and  then,  setting  fire  to  all  that  was  combusti- 
ble, left  the  place  a shapeless  mass  of  ruins. b Much  in 
this  state  we  found  it.  Houses  had  indeed  been  built 
up  in  rude  style,  and  there  were  about  800  families,  but 
the  town  was  more  completely  demolished  than  any 
other  we  visited:  nor  will  it  be  likely  ever  to  re- 
gain its  former  consequence.  The  larger  cities  will  be 
on  the  coast,  where  commerce  may  afford  employment 
to  crowds;  and  the  agricultural  population  of  the  interior, 
if  protected  by  a kind  and  efficient  government,  will  no 
longer  be  attracted  to  walled  towns,  but  will  dwell  every 
man  on  or  near  his  own  plantation. 

The  first  thing  we  did  on  entering  the  place  was  to 
call  on  Alexios  Blachopoulos,  the  extraordinary  com- 
missioner of  the  province  of  Arcadia,  to  whom  we  show- 
ed our  letter  from  the  government.  The  day  was  a 
festa , and  we  found  him  in  the  midst  of  company,  dress- 
ed in  the  Grecian  manner,  and  seated  a la  Turque . 
After  a few  moments  we  went  to  our  lodgings,  which  he 
had  ordered  an  attendant  to  provide.  The  streets  were 
thronged  with  people  in  their  gayest  dresses,  business 
and  care  seemed  to  be  laid  aside  for  the  day,  and  all 
looked  contented  and  happy  notwithstanding  the  appa- 
rent infelicity  of  their  circumstances.  During  the  day, 
a group  was  dancing  among  the  ruins,  jumping  and 
whirling  with  joined  hands  round  a common  centre,  all 
to  the  sound  of  music.  The  musicians  were  three ‘Gip- 
sies, dark-looking  fellows,  with  a peculiar  physiognomy. 
In  the  evening  we  heard  them  playing  a most  lively  air. 


(b)  Greek  Gazette. 


82 


SCHOOL  AT  TRIPOLITSA. 


Considerable  numbers  of  these  people  are  said  to  roam 
through  continental  Greece,  as  practitioners  in  the  musi- 
cal art  and  in  certain  kinds  of  smithery.  They  gen- 
erally profess  the  Greek  rites,  but  have  only  a debased 
conception  even  of  them,  nor  can  they  be  said  to  belong 
to  any  denomination  of  Christians. 

Towards  night  Blachopoulos  returned  our  call,  and 
conversed  for  an  hour  in  a very  affable  and  intelligent 
manner.  The  next  day  we  saw  about  200  children, 
including  20  girls,  taught  beneath  an  arbor,  there  be- 
ing no  suitable  house  for  the  school.  The  teacher, 
like  those  at  Argos,  had  learned  the  “new  method”  (as 
the  Greeks  call  the  Lancasterian)  at  Cerigo;  and  it 
seems  probable  that  the  schools  of  the  Ionian  Islands 
may  furnish  many  instructors  for  Greece.  The  school 
is  now  supported  entirely  by  the  inhabitants,  but  the 
government  has  resolved  to  erect  a house  that  will  ac- 
commodate 300  pupils.  The  master  had  introduced 
some  peculiar  provisions  into  his  system  of  police;  for 
he  not  only  had  a monitor  to  see  that  his  pupils  attended 
the  school  with  regularity  and  promptness,  but  two  oth- 
ers to  secure  personal  neatness  and  good  behavior  in 
the  streets.  His  school  appeared  very  well,  consider- 
ing the  deficiency  ot  books.  In  geography,  there  were 
only  a few  little  manuscripts;  in  arithmetic,  only  a few 
imperfect  tables;  in  morals  and  religion,  only  Niketo- 
plos’  abridgment  of  the  Gospels.  They  desired,  but. 
had  not  been  able  to  obtain,  a supply  of  New  Testa- 
ments.0 

We  were  at  a loss  what  route  to  pursue  on  leaving 
Tripolitsa,  but  at  last  decided  upon  going  northward  as 
far  as  Calabryta  and  the  celebrated  convent  of  Megas- 
pelseon;  and  in  this  determination  we  afterwards  saw 
much  reason  to  rejoice,  for  it  led  us,  unexpectedly, 
through  the  most  beautiful  succession  of  vallies  and 
plains,  perhaps,  in  the  Morea.  A particular  description 


(c)  T believe  some  New  Testaments  were  afterwards  sent  them  by  our 
friend  Mr.  Robertson. 


PLAIN  OP  MANTINEA. 


83 


of  this  route,  besides  illustrating  the  summer  aspects  of 
Arcadia  and  its  agricultural  resources,  will  give  the 
reader  an  idea  of  the  manner  of  cultivation  practised  by 
the  Greeks,  particularly  in  vallies  and  plains  containing 
perennial  streams. 

Our  course  was  northeast  for  about  an  hour  from  the 
city;  then,  turning  round  the  hills  above  mentioned  to 
the  north,  we  entered  the  plain  of  Mantinea.  We  could 
not  but  remark  the  richness  of  the  pasturage,  which  in- 
duces the  shepherd,  when  rain  ceases  to  fall  on  the 
maritime  plains,  to  drive  his  flocks  to  these  more  favor- 
ed regions.  Here  they  find  sustenance  during  the  arid 
season;  and  I hope  the  time  is  approaching  when,  con- 
templating this  bounteous  arrangement  of  Providence, 
the  shepherd  will  raise  a more  grateful  song  to  the  true 
God,  than  was  ever  sung  in  ancient  days  to  the  imagi- 
nary Pan.  The  plain  of  Mantinea  is  seven  or  eight 
miles  long,  and  is  more  level  than  that  of  Tegea.  The 
tallness  of  the  grass  and  the  abundance  of  the  rich 
white  clover  beneath  it,  reminded  us  that  very  many  of 
the  flocks  had  been  consumed  by  the  war.  In  the  cen- 
tre of  the  plain  are  vineyards  partially  enclosed  by 
hedges  of  bitter  almond  and  wild  pear.  Parts  of  it  are 
marshy,  and  stagnant  waters  appear  in  some  places. 
The  whole  would  be  overflowed  by  water  from  the 
mountains,  were  it  not  for  a chasm  in  the  ground  by 
which  it  passes  away — found,  we  believe,  (for  we  did 
not  see  it,)  beyond  the  northern  extremity  of  the  ruins 
of  Mantinea.  The  plain  of  Tegea,  as  has  been  remark- 
ed, is  drained  in  the  same  manner.  Were  it  not  for 
these  subterranean  canals,  which  appear  to  be  numerous 
in  the  limestone  mountains  of  the  Morea,  and  are  proba- 
bly coeval  with  the  mountains  themselves,  many  of  these 
plains,  having  no  other  outlets,  would  be  converted  into 
lakes,  and  be  lost  to  the  shepherd  and  farmer.  About 
seven  miles  from  Tripolitsa,  we  crossed  the  site  of  the 
ancient  Mantinea,  near  which  the  Theban  Epaminondas 
was  slain  in  battle  with  the  Spartans.  The  foundations 
of  the  circular  walls  and  numerous  towers,  enclosed  by 


84 


PLAIN  OF  ORCHOMENUS. 


two  branches  of  the  Ophis  now  almost  dry,  may  be 
distinctly  traced.  They  embrace  fine  fields  of  wheat, 
but  no  inhabitant.  Mount  Artimisiumd  rises  on  the 
east — the  ancient  barrier  between  the  territories  of  Man- 
tinea  and  Argos. 

Four  miles  beyond  Mantinea,  we  began  to  ascend  the 
low  range  of  hills  on  the  northwest,  and  after  half  an 
hour  entered  the  plain  of  Orchomenus.  The  hills  were 
rocky  and  covered  with  low  bushes.  A fine  dog,  who 
had  followed  us  from  Tripolitsa,  here  came  near  losing 
his  life  by  means  of  a serpent,  and  indeed  had  a narrow 
escape  of  the  same  kind  among  the  ruins  of  Mantinea. 
The  general  course  of  the  plain  is  northwest  and  south- 
east, and  there  are  three  small  offsets  into  the  mountains 
on  the  northeastern  side.  Entering  the  first  of  these, 
we  see  with  surprise  a vast  field  of  grain,  level  for  a 
considerable  distance  as  a lake,  then  gently  rising  till 
the  steep  sides  of  mount  Alonistena  impose  a limit  to  the 
husbandman’s  labors.  The  considerable  village  of  Li- 
vidi  lies  in  that  direction.  Coming  into  the  principal 
plain,  we  travel  along  a water  course,  which  Grecian 
industry  had  long  since  formed  into  regular  lines,  and 
we  could  scarcely  persuade  ourselves  that  the  withering 
influence  of  Turkish  despotism  had  ever  reached  this 
spot.  In  fact  this  is  an  artificial  canal,  cut  many  ages 
since  for  the  purpose  of  draining  the  plain,  which  it 
does,  rather  imperfectly,  by  conducting  the  waters  into  a 
lake  on  the  northeast.  There,  probably,  is  another 
chasm.  A village  called  Bodia  is  seen  at  the  head  of 
the  second  offset.  All  along,  for  more  than  an  hour, 
were  the  most  gratifying  indications  of  an  ample  har- 
vest. Thoroughly  fatigued,  we  pitched  our  tent  at  dark 
in  the  third  offset  from  the  main  body  of  the  plain,  near 
the  foot  of  the  hill  that  was  anciently  surmounted  by  the 
city  of  Orchomenus.  The  miserable  village  of  Calpaki 
is  its  present  representative.  The  monastery  of  Cande- 

(d)  Maleuon  is  the  modern  name. — The  elevation  is  1,775  metres,  or 
5,808  feet. — Gr.  Gaz. 


PLAIN  OF  DARA. 


85 


las  could  be  seen  perched  upon  a rock  eastward  of  our 
encampment. 

The  thermometer  stood  at  55  degrees  in  the  morning, 
and  the  cold,  with  the  effects  of  my  fall  in  the  vicinity 
of  Argos,  prevented  our  riding  till  7 o’clock.  Then, 
crossing  the  head  of  the  plain,  we  entered  a gorge  of  the 
mountains,  and  ascended  a narrow  valley  with  a small 
village  on  our  left.  At  8 we  saw  the  lake  already  men- 
tioned, and  after  a mile  and  a half  began  to  descend 
through  shrubbery  of  the  ilex  towards  the  plain  of 
Dara,  which  is  separated  from  the  lake  by  a mountain. 
Cyllene  appeared  on  the  north,  its  summit  crowned 
with  white  vapor,  and  its  southern  declivities  streaked 
with  snow.  The  whole  country  seemed  as  if  filled 
with  mountains. 

The  plain  of  Dara  takes  its  name  from  a village 
situated  on  a mountain  above  its  northeastern  border. 
It  is  related  of  the  Turkish  commandant  in  this  village, 
previous  to  the  revolution,  that,  walking  one  day  before 
a school  taught  in  the  place,  he  caused  the  didascalos 
to  be  dragged  from  among  his  pupils  and  bastinadoed. 
Our  sympathies  are  not  awakened  on  learning  that  this 
petty  tyrant  was  soon  after  a prisoner  in  the  hands  of 
the  insurgent  Greeks  at  Calabryta.  The  plain  is  not 
far  from  a mile  in  width,  and  is  ornamented  by  scatter- 
ed pear  and  plane  trees,  and  cultivated  chiefly  with 
wheat  and  maize.  Mount  Saeta  rises  on  the  right  of 
Dara,  with  firs  covering  its  lofty  acclivities.  Arriving 
at  the  opposite  side  of  the  plain,  we  crossed  a consider- 
able stream  on  a bridge,  and  at  first  I could  not  conceive 
whence  it  came,  since  a tall,  unbroken  ridge  heads  the 
valley.  We  were  afterwards  assured  that  it  emerges, 
like  the  fountain  of  Erasmus,  from  beneath  the  moun- 
tain’s base.  It  must  come  from  the  lake  we  saw  on  the 
other  side.  They  call  it  the  Dareiko,  or  river  of  Dara. 
We  were  now  upon  the  head-waters  of  the  Ladon, 
the  beauty  of  which  struck  Pausanias  so  forcibly, 
that  he  pronounced  this  river  to  be  the  most  beautiful  of 
8 


86 


BEAUTIFUL  GLEN  AND  PLAIN. 


all  that  flow  in  Grecian  or  foreign  lands.6  Just  below 
the  bridge,  the  Dareiko  receives  a streamlet  from  the 
south.  We  follow  the  river,  and  soon  the  plain  con- 
tracts into  a narrow  valley,  about  a league  in  extent 
cultivated  with  maize.  Then  the  mountains  advance  on 
both  sides,  and  form  a beautiful  glen,  filled  with  willows, 
wild  vines,  and  magnificent  plane  trees — a delightful 
asylum  for  coolness  and  repose.  The  river  dashes 
rapidly  along,  yet  with  a gentle  murmur,  and  amid  its 
overhanging  foliage  “the  fowls  of  the  heaven  have  their 
habitation”  and  “sing  among  the  branches,”  joyful  for 
such  a refuge  from  the  ardent  beams  of  noon.  Our 
feelings  rose  higher,  I trust,  than  mere  gladness;  for  we 
saw  around  us  the  hand  of  Him,  whose  goodness  is  such 
that,  in  a world  he  framed  for  discipline  rather  than  for 
enjoyment,  he  has  yet  bountifully  diffused  the  means  of 
happiness.  I thought  of  the  comparison,  which  Mont- 
gomery has  clothed  in  the  language  of  poetry — 

If  God  hath  made  this  world  so  fair, 

Where  sin  and  death  abound, 

How  beautiful,  beyond  compare, 

Will  Paradise  be  found! 

At  length  we  came  into  the  valley  of  Pancrati,  so 
called  from  a village  on  the  mountains  about  an  hour  to 
the  east.  In  its  centre  is  a clustre  of  vineyards,  and 
flocks  graze  on  the  partially  cultivated  hills  around. 
Leaving  the  river  to  pursue  its  course  to  the  Olympic 
plain,  we  ascended  a hill  not  knowing  what  to  expect,  but 
anticipating  a change  for  the  worse  as  scarcely  avoida- 
ble. But  no  sooner  did  we  look  down  the  other  side, 
than  we  involuntarily  exchanged  expressions  of  wonder 
at  the  manner  in  which  the  Author  of  nature  has  been 
pleased  to  adorn  some  parts  of  this  picturesque  land. 
At  our  feet  was  lying  a little,  level  plain  with  a rich  soil, 
nearly  shut  in  by  hills,  and  divided  into  parterres  like 
gardens,  by  canals  bordered  with  natural  hedges  of 
willows  and  vines,  the  whole  recently  planted  with  maize. 


(e)  Paus.  B.  8.  c.  25. 


ELEVATED  SITES  OF  VILLAGES. 


87 


Here  is  another  branch  of  the  Ladon,  or  more  properly 
the  river  itself,  flowing  from  the  eastward,  where  at 
some  distance  it  is  said  to  spring  from  a subterraneous 
channel  that  is  supposed  to  communicate  with  the  lake 
Phonia.  Crossing  over  a bridge  to  the  northern  side, 
we  soon  found  ourselves  travelling  on  the  banks  of  still 
another  branch  of  the  river,  bordered  with  a narrow 
strip  of  land,  and  planted  with  maize  where  the  ground 
is  not  too  wet.  The  mountains  are  precipitous  on  either 
hand,  with  occasionally  a cultivated  slope.  The  road 
is  but  little  travelled,  and,  losing  all  sight  of  it,  we  kept 
along  the  foot  of  the  mountain  on  one  side,  but  hardly 
made  our  way  among  shrub-oaks,  hawthorns,  wild  vines, 
and  brambles.  Towards  night  we  came  out  among 
vineyards,  enclosed  by  hedges,  and  ornamented  by  Lom- 
bardy poplars,  the  only  ones  I had  seen  in  the  Morea. 
They  seemed  like  old  friends,  being  familiar  to  the  re- 
collections of  my  youth.  We  had  now  travelled  two 
hours  upon  this  plain  without  perceiving  its  northern 
termination,  nor  had  we  found  the  village  we  were 
seeking.  The  only  one  in  view  was  at  an  almost  inac- 
cessible elevation.  Such  a site  for  villages  is,  however, 
very  frequent  in  Arcadia.  They  seem  to  have  been 
perched  upon  mountains,  as  well  to  escape  the  exactions 
to  which  they  would  have  been  exposed  from  their 
Turkish  masters  if  situated  on  frequented  routes,  as  for 
security  against  the  inroads  of  banditti;  and  sometimes, 
perhaps,  as  a security  to  the  bandits  themselves.  This 
was  not  the  village  we  desired;  so,  guided  by  a peasant, 
we  turned  up  into  a most  romantic,  hidden  dell,  at  the 
end  of  which,  as  the  evening  shades  came  on,  we  found  a 
little  village  called  Knophta,  with  mountains  tower- 
ing almost  perpendicularly  around,  their  tops  covered 
with  clouds.  The  village  contains  thirty-six  houses,  but 
they  had  not  escaped  the  fiery  visitation  of  the  Arabs. 
So  little  accustomed  were  the  peasantry  of  this  village  to 
strangers  that,  at  the  sight  of  one  of  our  number  in 
Frank  clothes,  they  fled  to  their  houses  and  barred 
their  doors.  However  a shepherd,  somewhat  more  ac- 


88 


MANNER  OF  CULTIVATION. 


quainted  with  the  world,  ventured  to  bring  us  a quantity 
of  milk  and  our  favorite  yagourte. 

A heavy  dew  fell  in  the  night,  and  the  thermometer 
in  the  morning  was  at  46  degrees  in  the  open  air,  and 
50  degrees  in  our  tent.  We  returned  to  the  plain  at  an 
early  hour.  It  soon  opened  to  the  west,  giving  place 
to  the  villages  of  Cane,  Carnesi  and  Mazaeca.  The 
district  is  called  Catsanes,  and  so  is  the  plain,  and  per- 
haps also  the  river. 

The  plain  is  cultivated  with  maize,  which  the  peas- 
ants were  just  ploughing  into  the  earth.  The  plough  has 
an  exceedingly  primitive  aspect,  with  but  a single  han- 
dle, and  the  beam  fastened  to  the  yoke.  It  has  no  side- 
board to  turn  over  the  earth,  and  does  little  more  than 
tear  up  the  ground.  Indeed  the  poor  husbandman  is 
obliged  to  go  over  the  same  ground  two  or  three  times 
before  it  is  ready  for  the  seed,  and  after  all  he  does  not 
plough  as  deep  as  our  farmers  think  essential  to  good 
husbandry.  The  Greeks  need  instruction  both  in  the 
theory  and  application  of  industry,  as  well  as  in  letters  and 
religion,  and  philanthropists  should  bring  them  aid  in  all 
these  respects. 

Wheat  and  barley  are  commonly  sown  in  October, 
though  on  the  richest  lands  the  seed-time  is  later.  The 
harvest  on  the  maritime  plains,  is  near  the  end  of  May 
and  in  June:  on  the  higher  grounds,  it  is  in  July  and 
August.  Maize  is  ploughed  into  the  ground  in  April  on 
the  low  lands,  and  in  May  towards  the  elevated  sources 
of  the  rivers,  and  even  in  June  where  the  soil  is  wet. 
It  may  be  cultivated  in  summer  without  artificial  irriga- 
tion, and  the  grain-in  such  cases  is  said  to  be  particularly 
good;  but  the  crop  is  more  abundant  when  the  ground 
is  watered  by  art,  and  I recollect  very  few  instances 
where  maize  was  not  grown  in  the  neighborhood  of 
fountains,  or  on  the  banks  of  rivers.  The  harvest  is  in 
September,  or  early  in  October,  and  an  accurate  trav- 
eller has  said  that  the  common  produce  is  thirty  or  for- 
ty to  one;  but  this  seems  almost  incredibly  small.  The 
plains  and  valleys  of  the  Morea  are  admirably  adapted 


ARTIFICIAL  IRRIGATION. 


89 


to  the  culture  of  maize;  for  the  beds  of  the  rivers  are  al- 
most always  more  or  less  inclined,  and  so  of  course  are 
the  valleys  and  plains.  It  is  easy,  therefore,  to  find  a 
point  in  the  river,  from  which  the  waters  may  be  con- 
veyed into  small  canals  cut  along  the  sides  of  the  plain 
just  above  its  level.  These  sometimes  run  for  miles  all 
around  the  plain,  and  from  them  the  water  is  conducted, 
in  small  channels  made  by  the  plough,  to  every  part 
of  the  ground.  The  channels  run  in  every  direction 
according  to  the  inclination  of  the  ground,  and  they 
sometimes  impart  to  the  field  a singular  and  grotesque 
appearance.  We  have  seen  the  principal  canals  car- 
ried along  the  sides  of  hills  scores  of  feet  above  the 
river’s  bed,  thus  fertilizing  a considerable  declivity/ 
Maize  requires  the  best  soil.  So  also  does  cotton,  which, 
like  the  maize,  is  planted  in  April  and  May  and  matur- 
ed in  September;  nor  will  it  thrive  well  without  artificial 
irrigation. s 

The  pointed  summit  of  mount  Chelmos  rose  in  con- 
spicuous majesty  not  far  to  the  eastward,  and  we  con- 
tinued to  follow  the  river  till  it  lost  itself  in  a savage 
glen  where  is  the  last  considerable  source  of  the  Ladon. 


(f  )“The  Hebrews,  notwithstanding  the  richness  of  their  soil,  endeavored 
to  increase  its  fertility  in  various  ways.  They  not  only  divested  it  of 
stones,  but  watered  it  by  means  of  canals  communicating  with  the  rivers, 
or  brooks,  and  thereby  imparted  to  their  fields  the  richness  of  gardens. 
Ps.  i,  3;  lxv,  10.  Prov.  xxi,  1.  Isa.  xxx,  25;  xxxii,  2,  20.  Springs,  there- 
fore, fountains  and  rivulets,  were  held  in  as  much  honor  by  husbandmen, 
as  by  shepherds.  Jos.  xv,  9.  Jud.  i,  15.7; — John’s  Bib.  Archceol. 

(g)  The  Greek  Gazette  (the  government  paper)  contains  a compara- 
tive estimate  of  the  profit  that  may  be  expected  from  a stremma  (two-thirds 
of  an  acre)  of ground,  if  cultivated  with  the  vine,  or  with  some  kinds  of 
grain.  I know  not  what  authority  it  is  entitled  to.  If  correct,  Greece 
may  be  expected  to  abound  with  corn,  rather  than  wine;  a result  fa- 
vorable to  the  formation  of  a national  character.  The  estimate  is  said 
to  be  founded  on  experiments  continued  through  ten  years. 

Expenses  in  cultivating  the  vine,  piastres,  1,007  20 
Income,  ---..-  1,537  20 


Profit,  (or  53  piastres  a year,) 
Expenses  in  cultivating  grain, 
Income, 


530  00 
- 1,020  00 
- 2,550  00 


Profit,  (or  153  piastres  a year,)  - 

8* 


- 1,530  00 


90 


SOUDENA. 


Leaving  the  glen  just  mentioned  to  the  right,  we  follow- 
ed up  another  to  the  north,  down  which  rushes  a little 
stream.  Its  steep  sides  were  covered  with  the  plata- 
nus,  the  ash,  the  oak,  the  beach,  the  hawthorn,  and  the 
sumac.  Having  passed  the  last  rippling  of  the  last 
brook  that  flows  into  the  Ladon,  we  climbed  the  first 
long  and  tiresome  ascent  since  leaving  Tripolitsa,  and 
at  length  came  out  upon  the  plain  of  Soudena,  doubtless 
one  of  the  most  elevated  in  the  Peloponnesus.11 

The  only  habitations  we  saw  from  this  plain  were  a 
little  village  on  the  mountain  side  to  the  left  as  we  en- 
tered, and  the  straggling  town  of  Soudena,  containing 
about  200  families,  at  the  northeastern  extremity. 
Pitching  our  tent,  we  sent  to  Soudena  for  provisions, 
and  in  the  mean  time  captain  Basileios  Petemezas 
came  down  to  visit  us.  He  rode  a splendid  Arabian 
horse,  and,  besides  an  armed  footman  who  ran  before 
him,  was  accompanied  by  his  son,  a fine-looking  lad 
about  to  be  sent  for  education,  with  other  Grecian  youth, 
to  the  king  of  Bavaria.  Pano,  whom  we  had  sent  for  the 
provisions,  stated  on  his  return,  that  one  of  the  soldiers 
of  Petemezas  went  round  with  him  and  ordered  the 
people  to  sell  bread,  &c.  He  was  expected,  however, 
to  give  a fair  price  for  everything,  as  of  course  we  re- 
quired him  to  do;  “but,”  said  the  soldier  to  him,  “for 
a single  para,  I would  have  procured  you  a roasted 
lamb,  two  years  ago.”  Violence  of  this  kind  is  not  now 
often  attempted  by  the  capitani , or  their  retainers,  un- 
less, perhaps,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  army. 

During  our  travels  in  the  Morea,  we  continually  re- 
marked the  variations  of  climate  produced  by  the  ever 
varying  elevation  of  plain,  valley  and  mountain.  On 
the  plain  of  Soudena,  though  the  sun  shone  clearly,  the 
air  was  delightfully  cool  at  noon-day:  thermometer  66 


(h)  We  were  still,  as  we  suppose,  within  the  limits  of  the  ancient  Arca- 
dia, the  northern  boundary  of  which  seems  to  have  embraced  Calabryta. 
But  the  modern  district  of  Calabryta  is  now  connected  with  the  province 
of  Achaia,  and  includes  Catsanes,  on  the  northern  sources  of  the  Ladon, 
and  Libartsi,  on  the  Erymanthus,  near  Tripotamos. 


CALABRYTA. 


91 


degrees.  The  wheat,  though  ripe  at  Argos,  and  head- 
ed at  Tripolitsa,  was  here  just  putting  forth  the  ear. 
The  fir,  which  darkens  the  more  elevated  parts  of  the 
higher  Grecian  mountains  and  is  companion  to  their 
snows,  here  comes  down  to  the  level  of  the  plain.  The 
snows  of  Chelmos,  in  the  month  of  June,  seemed  but 
little  above  us.  The  plain  is  not  wide,  but  extends 
westward  some  distance,  then  turns  round  a mountain 
to  the  southwest,  where  we  could  not  discern  its  limit. 
From  the  top  of  the  ridge  above  Soudena,  which  sepa- 
rates the  waters  that  flow  into  the  Alpheus  from  those 
that  run  towards  the  gulf  of  Corinth,  we  looked  over 
the  tops  of  the  Achaian  mountains,  some  of  them  capped 
with  clouds,  to  the  snowy  summits  of  the  Oetian  range 
in  continental  Greece.  Descending  a little  distance, 
and  coming  out  upon  a projection  from  the  ridge,  our 
view  of  Olonos  and  the  neighboring  mountains  was  al- 
most unequalled  in  magnificence.  Their  dark,  ragged 
summits  above  a stratum  of  white  clouds  torn  by  the 
wind  into  fantastic  shapes,  seemed  like  lofty  islands  in  a 
stormy  ocean.  We  pitched  our  tent  upon  an  old  thresh- 
ing-floor, almost  overhanging  the  town  of  Calabryta, 
and  commanding  a fine  prospect  of  the  plain.  Scarcely 
had  we  arranged  our  affairs,  however,  before  a messen- 
ger arrived  from  the  extraordinary  commissioner  of  the 
province  of  Achaia,  who  had  a temporary  residence  in 
that  place,  expressing  his  regret  at  not  having  an  oppor- 
tunity to  provide  us  with  lodgings.  The  next  morning 
we  called  upon  George  Mavrommates,  the  commission- 
er, at  his  office,  and  were  received  with  the  customary 
politeness.  The  town,  before  the  revolution,  contained 
about  250  houses,  of  which  nearly  100  were  Turkish, 
and  was  the  capital  of  a district  embracing  120  villages, 
and  a population  of  10,000  or  12,000  souls.  Here 
the  standard  of  liberty  was  first  raised  by  Germanos, 
bishop  of  Patras,  followed  by  the  destruction  of  the 
Turkish  houses  and  the  two  mosques.  Afterwards  a 
part  of  the  Greek  houses  and  their  two  churches  were 
destroyed;  but  enough  remains  to  show  that  the  place 


$2 


GLEN  OF  MEGASPELiEON. 


was  tolerably  well  built.  Exhalations  from  low  grounds 
in  the  vicinity  render  it  unhealthy  in  summer,  and  then 
the  wealthier  inhabitants  resort  to  country  houses  in  the 
village  ofBisoka.  Towards  noon  the  governor  return- 
ed our  call,  and  we  also  had  a visit  from  our  friend  Pe- 
temezas  of  Soudena. 

Jn  the  cool  of  the  day  we  commenced  riding  for  the 
convent  of  Megaspelseon,  descending  the  plain  to  the 
northeast  along  the  river  of  Calabryta  mentioned  in  our 
route  from  Bostitsa  to  Corinth.  The  plain  contracts  to 
a narrow  valley  cultivated  with  maize,  and  then  to  a 
glen  of  wild  and  picturesque  grandeur.  Gigantic  piles 
of  conglomerate  rock  rise  on  both  sides  in  every  variety 
of  shape,  occasionally  broken  by  ravines  of  savage  as- 
pect. The  cliffs  at  length  approach  very  near,  and 
above  on  the  right  appears  the  monastery.  To  this  we 
climbed  in  a zigzag  pathway,  which  cost  us  three- 
fourths  of  an  hour.  The  distance  from  Calabryta  to 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  is  about  six  miles.  The  con- 
vent is  an  irregular,  white  building,  five  or  six  stories 
high,  built  in  the  mouth  of  a large  cave,1  or  rather  of 
two  or  three,  and  looking  out  upon  a most  romantic 
scenery.  Above  is  an  overhanging  precipice  400 
feet  high,  on  the  verge  of  which  are  two  stone  edifices 
that  seemed,  as  viewed  from  below,  to  be  fortresses,  and 
we  afterwards  found  them  to  be  such.  They  were 
erected  in  expectation  of  a hostile  visit  from  Ibrahim 
Pasha.  A part  of  the  ravine  in  front  of  the  convent  is 
occupied  by  a garden,  the  soil  of  which  is  supported  by 
terrace  walls,  and  there  were  many  little  arbors  where 
the  monks  pass  some  of  their  idle  hours. 

We  entered  the  gate  of  the  monastery  just  as  the  sun 
was  sinking  behind  the  mountains,  and  were  met  by  a 
company  of  monks  with  the  hegoumenos,  or  principal, 
at  their  head,  to  whom  we  gave  our  letters  of  commen- 
dation from  the  governor  of  Achaia  and  others.  We 
had  determined  to  conceal  neither  our  true  characters, 
nor  the  object  of  our  travels,  and  were  doubtful  as  to 


(i)  Hence  its  name — M ryot.  X7ri\cticy. 


CONVENT  OF  MEGASPELiEON. 


93 


the  reception  we  should  meet;  but  we  were  cordially- 
welcomed  to  the  place  for  as  long  a time  as  we  chose  to 
remain.  It  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  the  hegoumenos 
and  his  monks  showed  us  the  greatest  respect  and  kind- 
ness during  our  abode  with  them,  which  was  from  Satur- 
day till  Monday  morning.  They  had  much  to  say  of 
the  benevolent  regard  which  Americans  have  shown  for 
Greece,  while  they  showed  an  entire  ignorance  of  our 
geography,  history,  and  institutions.  They  showed  no 
reluctance  to  the  prevalence  of  education  among  their 
countrymen:  on  the  contrary,  the  principal  expressed 
the  hope  in  presence  of  his  monks  that  in  ten  years  we 
should  see  Greece  on  the  full  march  of  intellectual  im- 
provement, and  learned  men  among  them  emulating  the 
attainments  of  their  ancestors.  Their  library,  compos- 
ed of  some  hundreds  of  volumes,  (we  could  not  learn 
how  many,)  is  kept  in  a small  dark  room,  and  did  not 
appear  to  be  often  consulted.  The  church  is  within  the 
cave,  and  is  ornamented  by  a marble  pavement  of  mo- 
saic, and  by  silver  lamps  and  gilded  pictures,  and  sanc- 
tified and  renowned  by  a wax  representation  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary,  (not  a picture ,)  which  the  monks  show  as  the 
workmanship  of  Luke  the  Evangelist,  and  which  they 
say  was  found,  thirteen  centuries  ago,  near  a fountain  in 
the  cave.  It  is  richly  encased  and  surmounted  by  a 
glittering  crown.  Contiguous  to  the  church  are  a 
bakery,  mills,  he.  But  the  most  remarkable  thing  is 
the  wine-cellar,  into  which  they  annually  put  from 
150,000  to  200,000  pounds  of  wine,  derived  from  vine- 
yards belonging  to  the  institution.  One  of  the  casks 
measured  sixteen  feet  in  length,  and  the  head  was  more 
than  six  feet  in  diameter. 

The  convent  contains  about  200  monks,  of  whom  not 
far  from  three-fourths  have  been  ordained  priests: 
the  rest  belong  to  inferior  orders.  A considerable 
number  were  absent  on  the  several  metochia , or  farms 
belonging  to  the  convent,  of  which  they  told  us  the 
number  might  be  twenty.  The  government  is  vested  in 


94 


CONVENT  OF  MEGASPELiEON. 


a hegoumenos,  a senate  of  seven,  and  fourteen  assis- 
tants. The  hegoumenos  is  elected  annually  by  the 
senate,  but  the  same  person  is  often  continued  from  year 
to  year. 

They  estimate  their  losses  during  the  war  at  2,000,000 
of  piastres,  or  more  than  130,000  dollars.  This  is  per- 
haps an  exaggeration;  but  their  loss  must  have  been 
very  great,  if  the  expenses  are  reckoned  which  they  in- 
curred for  the  defence  of  the  convent.  The  two 
stone  batteries  on  the  heights  above,  and  one  on  each 
side,  with  two  brass  pieces  of  cannon,  and  small  arms, 
ammunition,  soldiers,  and  provisions  for  a siege,  must 
have  been  expensive.  They  had  property  in  Constan- 
tinople, and  I believe  in  Smyrna,  which  is  probably  no 
longer  at  command.  Their  farms  on  the  plain  of  Gas- 
toune,  as  well  as  the  village  of  Ali  Chelebi  which  be- 
longed to  them,  were  desolated  by  the  Egyptians.  A 
commodious  farm-house  just  below  the  convent  was 
burnt  by  themselves,  that  it  might  not  serve  as  a cover 
for  their  enemies.  Great  numbers  also  of  their  sheep 
and  cattle  were  slaughtered  by  friend  and  foe. — And  it 
is  to  be  noticed  how,  in  the  course  of  divine  providence, 
the  funds  and  influence  of  an  institution  have  thus  been 
materially  reduced,  from  which  a formidable  opposition 
might  have  arisen  to  the  progress  of  light  and  improve- 
ment, that  is  doubtless  erelong  to  bless  the  Greek 
church  and  people. 

We  were  informed,  that  after  Ibrahim  had  taken  Me- 
solongi  he  advanced  upon  Megaspelseon,  and  from  the 
opposite  mountain  offered  the  monks  favorable  terms  in 
case  they  surrendered.  When  these  were  refused,  he 
endeavored  first  to  secure  a position  immediately  in 
front  of  the  monastery,  and  then  one  in  the  rear;  but 
failing  in  both  of  these  attempts,  and  finding  he  should 
not  succeed  without  a considerable  loss  of  men,  he 
turned  his  attention  to  other  more  assailable  points. 

This  monastery  is  known  to  have  been  in  existence 
500  years,  and  it  claims  a much  higher  antiquity.  It 


EXTENT  OF  ARABLE  GROUND. 


95 


has  always  enjoyed  special  privileges  under  the  Turks, 
and  is  the  largest  institution  of  the  kind  in  the  peninsula: 
we  heard  of  none  so  large  anywhere  in  the  territories 
claimed  by  the  present  Greek  nation. 

The  younger  monks  serve  the  older  and  have  a mea- 
ger appearance,  while  that  of  the  older  is  generally  the 
reverse.  One  of  the  young  monks  had  much  conver- 
sation with  our  interpreter  on  the  subject  of  matrimony, 
in  which  he  seemed  much  interested. 

Retracing  our  steps  to  the  plain  of  Calabryta,  we 
saw,  before  reaching  it,  the  village  of  Celpene  at  the 
head  of  a valley  on  the  right,  where  Zaimis  resides,  one 
of  the  primates  of  the  Morea,  an  active  agent  in  the  re- 
volution, and  the  reputed  head  of  the  aristocratic  party. 
Passing  Calabryta  without  stopping,  we  took  the  route 
to  Lala  in  the  department  of  Elis.  In  an  hour  and 
twenty  minutes  after  entering  the  plain,  we  were  oppo- 
site a bridge  leading  to  the  village  of  Bisoka  already 
mentioned,  on  the  north.  Men  and  women  were  busily 
employed  on  the  low  grounds  planting  Indian  corn. 
We  now  turned  southward,  and  for  seven  miles  traced 
the  river  and  a branch  of  it  in  a winding  course  through 
a succession  of  plains,  some  of  them  beautiful  and  cul- 
tivated with  wheat  and  maize,  till,  at  the  little  village  of 
Sabanous,  further  progress,  except  up  a steep  acclivity, 
was  on  all  hands  cut  off  by  mountains.  We  had  travel- 
led more  than  a dozen  miles  over  a level  and  fertile 
surface,  capable  of  producing  a large  amount  of  the 
necessaries  of  life. 

And  here  I would  observe,  in  order  to  assist  the 
reader  in  judging  of  the  agricultural  resources  of 
Greece,  that  the  traveller  on  these  plains  is  continually 
observing  offsets  from  them  into  the  mountains.  These 
sometimes  deserve  the  name  of  plains,  oftener  they  are 
mere  valleys,  and  in  either  case  are  not  unfrequently 
watered  by  rivulets.  Often,  too,  there  are  fertile  ac- 
clivities swelling  from  the  plain,  or  steep  valleys  running 
down  upon  it,  or  green  patches  on  the  mountain  side 


96  MOUNTAIN  AND  VALE  OF  ERYMANTHUS. 

fertilized  by  springs;  so  that  large  portions  of  some  of 
the  lesser  mountains  are  composed  of  arable  ground. 

Our  path  up  mount  Erymanthus  lay  in  a ravine  thickly 
wooded.  The  oak  greatly  predominated  over  other 
species.  I do  not  remember  to  have  seen  so  extensive 
a growth  since  we  left  Ali  Chelebi  in  April.  The 
country  was  covered  with  them.  We  were  an  hour  in 
the  toilsome  ascent,  and  when  standing  on  the  ridge, 
beneath  which,  on  the  other  side,  spring  the  first  waters 
of  the  Erymanthus,  the  snows  of  Parnassus  and  of 
Chelmos  were  distinctly  visible. 

Our  descent  was  rapid  into  the  long  and  narrow  val- 
ley of  the  Erymanthus,  and  soon  we  came  to  the  little 
village  of  Sedino  almost  hidden  in  mulberry  and  fig- 
trees.  Like  the  village  on  the  other  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, it  escaped  the  ravages  of  the  enemy.  The  people 
said  they  were  commencing  a school,  and  a few  chil- 
dren, under  the  care  of  the  priest,  were  actually  shout- 
ing their  lessons  before  the  church  door.  The  houses 
in  this  part  of  the  Peloponnesus  are  generally  covered 
with  slate.  Vineyards  and  fields  of  grain  are  in  the 
valley,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  stream  stand  a few 
large,  ancient  chesnut  trees,  a rare  tree  in  Greece.  We 
encamped  by  a fountain  copious  enough  to  carry  a mill, 
not  far  above  the  Calybia,  or  winter  houses,  and  the 
luxuriant  cornfields  and  vineyards  of  Lechouri,  a town 
situated  among  the  mountains  on  the  right.  These  we 
passed  early  in  the  morning  of  June  9th,  and  judged  the 
cultivated  tract  to  be  four  miles  in  length.  At  7 we 
came  upon  the  site  of  the  ancient  Psophis,  now  called 
Tripotamos,  corresponding  very  well  with  the  descrip- 
tion in  the  travels  of  the  younger  AnacharsisJ  The 


(j)  “Psophis  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  cities  of  Peloponnesus.  It  is 
situated  on  the  confines  of  Arcadia  in  Elis.  A very  high  hill  defends  it 
from  the  north  wind.  To  the  east  flows  the  river  Erymanthus,  which  rises 
in  a mountain  pf  the  same  name,  to  which  the  inhabitants  frequently  re- 
sort to  hunt  wild  boars  and  stags.  To  the  west  is  a deep  bottom,  into 
which  a torrent  falls,  that  afterwards  continues  its  course  toward  the 
south,  and  loses  itself  in  the  Erymanthus.’7 — Travels,  fyc. 


TRIPOTAMOS DEBRIS. 


97 


ruins  occupy  a large  space  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  and  consist  of  foundations  of  city  walls  and  tem- 
ples. In  the  yard  of  a convent,  the  only  habitation  on 
the  spot,  built  upon  one  of  these  ancient  foundations  by 
an  old  monk  in  1825,k  were  a number  of  broken  col- 
umns and  capitals.  The  village  of  Libartsi  is  not  far 
distant,  but  out  of  sight. 

Just  after  leaving  the  ruins,  and  when  about  to  cross 
the  stream  which  comes  down  from  the  snows  of  Olo- 
nos,  the  mountain  itself  appeared  through  an  opening  in 
the  hills,  bearing  a little  west  of  north  and  not  far  dis- 
tant. Another  stream  enters  the  Erymanthus  from  the 
other  side,  and  it  is  from  the  junction  of  these  three 
rivers  that  the  place  is  called  Tripotamos.  The  modem 
name  of  the  river  below  this  junction  till  it  falls  into  the 
Alpheus,  is  Dogana.  Our  route  lay  over  an  old  pave- 
ment sadly  out  of  repair,  above  the  deep,  tortuous, 
wooded  glen  containing  the  bed  of  the  Dogana.  The 
oaks  here  are  quite  a forest,  with  acorns  enough  to  feed 
many  an  Erymanthian  boar.  Coming  to  a most  rugged 
and  toilsome  ascent  up  a mountain  of  slate,  called  Ca- 
coskale  because  of  its  difficulty,  the  river  bends  to  the 
left,  and  we  again  entered  Elis.  A road  branches  to 
the  right  leading  to  Gastoune,  perhaps  through  the  town 
of  Dibris,  a strong  hold  in  the  mountains  said  to  contain 
600  or  700  houses.  It  escaped  the  ravages  of  the 
enemy,  and  afforded  a secure  retreat  to  many  of  the 
defenceless  inhabitants  of  the  plain  of  Elis:  our  mule- 


(k)  “This  old  man  preached  to  the  Greeks  to  abstain  from  theft  and 
other  sins,  and  strongly  pressed  on  them  to  fast  perpetually  to  abstain 
from  the  duties  of  marriage;  to  give  up  all  Turkish  property  which  had 
fallen  into  their  hands;  and  to  use  no  other  weapon  than  the  sign  of  the 
cross.  He  solemnly  assured  the  misguided  multitudes,  that  in  this  man- 
ner the  Turks  would  all  perish,  and  themselves  be  defended  from  on  high. 
I should  myself  have  been  rather  disposed  to  consider  the  man  as  deceiv- 
ed, than  a deceiver,  were  it  not  for  the  immense  sums  of  money  which  he 
amassed  by  his  preaching.  I have  been  assured  that  he  collected  no  less 
than  700,000  piastres,  the  offerings  of  the  enthusiastic  multitudes.  Their 
eyes  were  opened  when  Ibrahim  Pasha  came  and  put  the  old  man  to 
death,  and  took  possession  of  his  treasures.7’ — Rev.  Mr.  Hartley’s  Jour- 
nal in  London  Miss.  Register  for  1830,  p.  233. 

9 


98 


NEW  ASPECT  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


teers  refused  to  take  us  there  on  account  of  the  badness 
of  the  road.  Having  surmounted  the  hill  we  entered 
an  undulating,  grazing  country,  interspersed  with  trees 
chiefly  the  oak,  and  stopped  to  dine  on  the  shaded 
banks  of  a brook.  Here  our  interpreter  came  near  be- 
ing bitten  by  a serpent,  not  many  yards  from  the  spot 
where  we  were  reclining  on  the  ground.  The  reptile  be- 
longed to  the  species  we  saw  the  day  we  left  Tripolitsa, 
and  approached  him  with  head  erect  and  a hissing  noise, 
but  was  happily  arrested  and  killed  by  one  of  the  mule- 
teers when  a few  inches  distant. 

Turning  round  a hill  we  looked  abroad  over  a great 
plain,  or  table-land,  stretching  to  the  horizon  between 
the  south  and  west — an  Elian  prospect,  differing  widely 
from  those  of  Arcadia.  The  general  direction  of  our 
route  was  southwesterly,  bringing  us  down  upon  the 
table-lands  and  into  a forest  of  small  oaks,  now  quiet 
and  safe,  but  infested  not  long  since  by  Wallachian  rob- 
bers of  singular  ferocity.  Our  muleteers  had  them- 
selves no  doubt  been  klephtes,  (robbers,)  and  told  us 
many  tragical  stories  of  occurrences  in  these  woods,  not 
half  of  which,  probably,  were  founded  in  truth.  They 
said  the  old  monk  at  Tripotamos  did  much  for  the  sup- 
pression of  robbery  in  these  parts.  F arther  on,  we  en- 
tered an  open,  but  uncultivated  tract  of  considerable 
extent — then  a grove  of  oaks — and  beyond  this  we 
found  ourselves  on  the  edge  of  the  more  elevated  plain. 
A second,  which  we  crossed  in  ten  minutes,  is  perhaps 
100  feet  lower,  and  from  the  elevated  verge  of  that  we 
looked  over  the  great  plain  of  Lala,  whose  green  sur- 
face at  the  moment  was  softened  and  enriched  by  the 
rays  of  the  setting  sun.  Lala  itself,  or  rather  its  scat- 
tered relics,  appeared  on  the  farther  extremity.  De- 
scending by  a precipitous  path,  we  found  a little  spring 
and  sheep-fold  where  we  encamped,  being  thoroughly 
exhausted  with  fatigue.  In  the  evening  I went  out  to 
contemplate  a rare  scene  in  the  Peloponnesus — a great, 
unbroken  semicircle  to  the  eye  formed  only  by  the 


NIGHT  SCENE. 


99 


horizon.  The  steep  declivity  of  the  plain  above 
stretched  along  from  the  northwest  to  the  southeast,  like 
a vast  wall,  while  the  moon  shone  with  resplendent 
clearness  from  out  of  the  dark  blue  sky.  If  striking 
scenes  in  nature  are  fitted  to  awaken  devotion,  what  a 
spot  this  for  one  who  enters  into  the  spirit  of  the 
xixth  Psalm. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  PELOPONNESUS. 


Province  of  Elis  continued— Productions  of  the  plains— Lala— Douca— Plain  of 
Olympia — Valley  of  the  Alpheus — Re-enter  the  province  of  Arcadia — Rivers 
Erymanthus  and  Ladon —District  of  Liodoras — Albanian  villages — Langa- 
dia — “Heap  of  cursing” — River  Gortynius— Reception  at  Dernelsana — School 
— Description  of  the  place— Religious  customs— Conversation  with  a school- 
master—On  making  the  Scriptures  our  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice— The 
Oeconomos  of  Demetsana — Muleteers — Costume — Food  of  the  peasantry — 
Striking  scenery  on  the  road  to  Carytaena — Caryteena — Theodore  Colocotrones 
— Mount  Lycaeus  and  fine  views— Andritsana  and  its  school — Another  heap  of 
cursing— Situation  at  night — Temple  of  Apollo  Epicurius— River  Neda— Enter 
the  province  of  Upper  Messenia — Comparative  interest  of  this  province — 
Custom  in  relation  to  the  dead— New  range  of  mountains — Convenience  of 
a tent — Scripture  imagery  from  pastoral  life — District  and  town  of  Arkadia — 
Road  to  Navarino — Philiatra — Reflections  on  the  battle  of  Navarino — JNavari- 
no— Mothone— Corone. 

The  plains  mentioned  at  the  close  of  the  last  chapter 
abound  in  fern.  At  the  time  when  bread-corn  was 
rarely  to  be  obtained  by  the  impoverished  inhabitants  of 
the  Morea,  the  root  of  this  plant  was  employed  as  a 
substitute;  and  it  was  found  to  be  a more  nutritive  suc- 
cedaneum,  than  any  of  the  other  herbs  of  the  field  to 
which  the  famishing  multitudes  were  driven  for  food. 
On  the  plain  of  Lala  there  is  a species  of  clover  inter- 
spersed with  the  fern,  that  affords  good  pasturage  for 
the  flocks.  Few  marks  of  tillage  are  now  anywhere  to 
be  seen;  yet  the  grape,  olive,  and  winter  grains  might 
be  cultivated.  Cherry,  fig,  almond,  and  walnut  trees 
now  grow  upon  and  around  the  site  of  Lala.  The  ruin- 
ed walls  of  three  or  four  chieftain’s  palaces,  apparently 
the  only  buildings  made  of  stone,  are  all  that  remains  of 
the  town.  The  walls  of  the  other  houses,  about  1,000 
in  number,  be  ing  composed  of  unburnt  bricks  and  laid 
open  to  the  rains,  have  melted  into  heaps  of  clay. 
Thus  does  a considerable  town  disappear  from  the 


LALA— DOUCA. 


101 


earth  in  the  short  space  of  seven  or  eight  years.  Not 
a dozen  families  now  reside  on  the  ground.  Lala  was 
inhabited  almost  solely  by  a clan  of  Albanian  robbers, 
who  formed  one  of  those  half-rebellious,  half-independ- 
ent communities,  that  are  tolerated  by  the  weakness  or 
policy  of  the  government  in  so  many  parts  of  the  Tur- 
kish empire.  Always  clad  in  armor,  and  formidable 
for  their  brave  and  warlike  disposition,  the  Laliotes  kept 
the  surrounding  country  in  awe.  Like  most  mountain 
tribes,  they  held  inviolable  the  right  of  asylum,  and  the 
refugee  with  them  had  little  reason  to  fear  the  orders  of 
the  pasha.  They  took  arms  early  in  the  revolution  to 
assist  in  subduing  the  Greeks,  and  were  defeated  by  a 
body  of  Ionians,  and  compelled  to  fly  to  Patras,  while 
the  victors  entered  their  town  and  burnt  it.  The  de- 
feat of  the  most  intrepid  body  of  Moslems  in  the  Pelo- 
ponnesus in  the  first  battle  between  the  Greeks  and  their 
oppressors,  must  have  greatly  encouraged  the  Greeks  in 
their  revolutionary  struggle. 

Not  being  able  to  obtain  any  bread  here,  we  went  off 
our  road  to  Douca,  a new  and  flourishing  village  of  50 
houses,  where  the  inspector  of  police  for  this  district 
resides.  He  showed  us  many  attentions,  and  gave  us 
information  freely.  Having  procured  bread  enough  for 
two  or  three  days,  we  returned  to  our  road,  and  had 
new  evidence,  in  a continued  descent  of  an  hour,  of  the 
great  elevation  of  the  plains  above.  We  travelled  down 
a glen.  Much  of  the  path  was  shaded,  and  springs  fre 
quently  gushed  from  the  hill  side  forming  the  Cladeus, 
which  pours  into  the  Alpheus  on  the  plain  of  Olympia. 
Both  that  plain  and  the  Alpheus  were  visible  at  5 P.  M., 
and  a little  after  sunset  we  pitched  our  tent  between  a 
large  tumulus  and  the  “Hill  of  Saturn.”  After  having 
traversed  the  rich  and  beautiful  plains  of  Arcadia  and 
Achaia,  I cannot  say  I was  struck  with  anything  remark- 
able in  the  present  aspect  of  this  renowned  spot.  The 
hills  on  the  north  are  covered  with  the  sea-pine,  instead 
of  the  oak,  and,  at  this  season,  look  dry  and  uninviting. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  Alpheus,  however,  they  were 


102 


PLAIN  OF  OLYMPIA. 


verdant,  and  were  varied  by  green  recesses,  wooded 
promontories,  and  terraces  that  had  their  origin  in  the 
industry  of  former  times.  The  Alpheus  flows  along  the 
southern  side  of  the  plain,  and  its  banks  are  adorned  by 
the  platanus.  As  it  overflows  the  plain  every  year,  the 
soil  has  risen,  by  constant  accretions,  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
above  its  original  level,  and  covered  most  of  the  remains 
of  antiquity.  A detachment  of  the  French  savans  were 
then  excavating  the  ground,  and  had  made  some  inter- 
esting discoveries. 

While  looking  over  this  deserted  plain — for  no  man 
thinks  it  worth  while  to  erect  his  dwelling  there — I could 
not  but  compare  its  present  condition  with  that  of  ancient 
times.  How  changed!  Splendid  porticoes  and  shaded 
walks  and  groves  crowned  all  these  heights,  and  mag- 
nificent structures  adorned  the  plain.  And  during  the 
games,  what  crowds,  what  bustle,  what  busy  prepara- 
tion; what  anxiety,  fear  and  hope;  what  disappointment 
and  grief;  what  exultation  and  triumph;  what  glory  was 
won,  what  shouts  echoed,  among  these  hills!  Here  the 
human  body  and  the  human  mind  put  forth  their  high- 
est powers,  and  here  an  influence  was  exerted  upon 
the  Grecian  communities,  which  will  never  be  exerted 
here  again,  but  which  must  have  been  immense  during 
a period  of  more  than  a thousand  years. — The  exces- 
sive heat  we  found  in  the  middle  of  June,  and  the 
troublesome  swarms  of  musketoes,  almost  the  first  that 
had  assailed  us  in  Greece,  made  us  leave  the  vale  of 
Pisa  without  regret,  and  admire  the  athletic  hardiness  of 
the  ancient  Greeks,  which  could  find  amusement  there 
in  the  burning  month  of  July. 

Following  up  the  valley  of  the  Alpheus,  we  soon 
came  upon  the  banks  of  the  river.  It  is  a rapid,  muddy 
stream,  and  the  largest  in  the  Peloponnesus.1  The 
banks  are  fertile  and  considerably  cultivated.  Twelve 
miles  from  Olympia  the  character  of  the  country  changes; 


(1)  I am  aware  that  Chateubriand,  on  the  authority  of  Strabo,  calls  the 
Pamisus  the  largest  river.  Mr.  Smith  subsequently  crossed  the  Pamisus. 


RIVERS  ERYMANTHUS  AND  LADON. 


103 


the  pines  cease,  the  hills  assume  another  form,  and  the 
mountains  of  Arcadia  appear  in  front.  We  suffered 
much  from  the  heat,  as  did  our  animals,  and  were  glad 
to  stop  at  a quarter  past  7 on  an  eminence  above  mal- 
aria and  the  musketoes.  Near  1 1 o’clock  a man  pass- 
ed on  horseback  without  returning  the  salutations  of  our 
muleteers,  who  were  lying  on  the  ground  near  our 
tent — a circumstance  which,  two  years  ago,  would  have 
occasioned  just  alarm.  Yet  we  slept  without  fear  or 
molestation,  as  we  did  in  every  part  of  the  country. 
Next  morning,  June  12th,  we  forded  the  Erymanthus, 
or  Dogana,  just  above  its  junction  with  the  Alpheus,  and 
were  again  in  the  province  of  Arcadia.01  After  about 
an  hour,  wTe  crossed  the  Ladon,  or  Roufeas,  in  a ferry- 
boat. The  river  is  70  feet  wide  at  the  ferry,  and  just 
below  is  broader  and  fordable.  It  soon  unites  with  the 
Alpheus,  and  is  the  larger  of  the  two.  The  latter  is 
called  ihe  river  of  Carytasna,  and  comes  down  from  the 
southeast,  through  a broad,  uneven  valley  between  high 
mountains,  composing  the  district  of  Liodoras.  This 
district  is  the  ancient  Heraea,  the  capital  of  which  is 
supposed  to  have  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  Agios 
Ioannes  on  our  road  three  miles  from  the  Ladon. 
From  our  elevated  encampment  during  the  sultry  hours 
of  noon,  a beautiful  country  lay  open  to  our  inspection, 
extending  from  the  south  round  to  the  west  and  north- 
west— a great  area,  containing  hills,  valleys  and  plains, 
generally  susceptible  of  cultivation,  and  much  actually 
cultivated.  The  peasants  were  gathering  their  wheat 
and  barley,  as  in  the  eastern  parts  of  the  peninsula. 

The  road  now  led  up  a long  and  tedious  ascent 
through  shrubbery  and  oaks.  Neither  Turk  nor  Arab 
foe  had  climbed  these  heights.  Near  the  top  the  vil- 
lage of  Paloumpa,  with  its  large,  white  houses,  made 
a showy  appearance.  From  the  rocks  above,  you 
look  down  upon  the  valley  of  Liodoras,  and  the  Alpheus 
winding  through  it;  and  a number  of  villages  are 


(m)  Paus.  B.  8.  c.  26. 


104 


LANGADIA. 


Seen  On  the  long  mountain  beyond.  Of  these  An- 
dritsana  is  the  most  conspicuous.  Following  a glen 
night  obliged  us  to  encamp  with  but  little  water  in  our 
bottles,  and  without  provisions  enough  to  satisfy  our 
hunger.  We  soon  discovered  a little  Albanian  village, 
however,  of  twelve  houses,  called  Psari,  without  priest 
or  school,  from  which,  through  the  kindness  of  an  old 
widow  woman,  we  were  supplied  with  bread  made  of 
Indian  corn,  and  with  yagourte,  milk,  and  water.  Other 
similar  villages  exist  in  the  neighborhood.  Beyond 
these  villages  cultivation  ceases,  and  we  had  to  trace 
our  way  through  deep  ravines  and  among  cliffs  of  slate, 
continually  ascending,  until  Langadia  unexpectedly  ap- 
peared across  a valley  upon  a mountainous  declivity. 
Here  our  curiosity  was  attracted  by  a heap  of  stones  on 
the  way  side,  which,  on  inquiry,  we  found  to  be  a heap 
of  cursing.  Some  family  in  Langadia,  or  perhaps  the 
village  itself,  had  provoked  the  general  execration,  and 
to  express  it  every  traveller  throws  a stone  upon  the 
heap  with  a curse.  Such  piles  of  stones  are  said  not  to 
be  uncommon  in  this  part  of  the  world;  and  perhaps 
they  illustrate  the  manner  in  which  the  “great  heap  of 
stones”  was  raised  over  Achan,  by  the  army  of  Israel.11 
Our  course  now  inclined  more  to  the  south,  and  we  de- 
scended into  the  head  of  a valley,  where  are  the  sources 
of  the  Gortynius,  and  the  spot  where  some  of  the  an- 
cients pretend  that  Jupiter  was  bathed  after  his  birth.0 
The  country  is  exceedingly  wild;  and  so  it  is  around 
Demetsana,  where  we  arrived  before  noon.  An  old 
arched  bridge,  so  cracked  and  ominous  that  we  did  not 
dare  to  ride  over  it,  leads  across  the  stream  through  a 
most  curious  natural  gateway  consisting  of  two  huge 
rocks  rising  perpendicularly  from  the  river’s  bank,  just 
far  enough  apart  to  admit  a carriage  between  them. 
Demetsana  is  situated  upon  a spur  of  the  mountains  on 
the  left  running  nearly  across  the  ravine,  and  the  deep 
precipices  on  almost  every  side  make  it  one  of  the 


(n)  Josh,  vii,  26. 


(o)  Paus.  B.  85  c.  28  et.  al. 


DEMETSANA. 


105 


strong  holds  of  Greece.  As  we  climbed  the  steep,  the 
boys  come  running  and  shouting  towards  us,  and  when 
we  pitched  our  tent  they  crowded  around,  and  could 
hardly  be  persuaded  to  allow  us  any  retirement.  The 
cause  of  this  eagerness  we  afterwards  learned  to  be  this. 
Our  friend,  Mr.  King,  had  been  in  the  place  some 
months  before,  had  distributed  books  among  the  boys, 
and  promised  them  others;  and  the  children  seeing  us 
approach  in  the  dress  and  manner  of  our  friend,  natur- 
ally supposed  we  had  brought  the  books,  and  their 
shouts  proclaimed  our  arrival  to  each  other. 

The  oeconomos,  or  head  priest,  a venerable,  kind- 
hearted  man,  gave  us  a cordial  welcome  to  the  town, 
and  a pressing  invitation  to  his  house.  We  took  lodg- 
ings, however,  in  a small  apartment  in  the  building  be- 
longing to  the  school,  for  which  this  place  has  been 
noted  in  the  Morea  for  two  generations  past.  Scholars 
resorted  to  it  from  all  quarters,  sometimes  to  the  num- 
ber of  200  and  upwards.  Among  other  distinguished 
men  who  were  educated  here,  were  Germanos  arch- 
bishop of  Patras,  who  first  raised  the  standard  of  inde- 
pendence, and  Gregorius  the  patriarch  of  Constantino- 
ple, who  was  murdered  in  1821  by  order  of  the  Sul- 
tan.p  The  school  suffered  much  during  the  revolution, 
having  been  suspended  several  years,  and  lost  more  than 
half  of  its  library,  no  doubt  the  best  in  the  Morea. 
About  450  volumes'remain,  embracing  some  of  the  most 
valuable  classical  and  ecclesiastical  writers,  though  rare- 
ly more  than  one  copy  of  each.  The  inhabitants  manu- 
facture gunpowder,  and  being  unable,  at  some  critical 
periods  of  the  revolution,  to  obtain  paper  and  lead  in  suf- 
ficient quantities  to  send  it  off  in  the  form  of  cartridges, 


(p)  The  following  anecdote  is  related  of  Gregorius  in  the  Memoirs  of 
the  Rev.  John  Townsend.  When  Dr.  Pinkerton,  now  Secretary  of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  was  in  Constantinople,  the  patriarch 
one  day  said  to  him,  “Are  you  a married  man?7’  On  his  replying  in  the 
affirmative,  the  patriarch  added,  “What  an  excellent  woman  must  your 
wife  be,  to  part  with  such  a husband  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  the 
good  of  others.  I pray  you  to  carry  to  her,  and  receive  for  yourself,  my 
patriarchal  blessing.” — Memoirs,  London  ed.  p.  210. 


106 


DEMETSANA. 


they  melted  their  wine-pots,  and  tore  up  500  or  600 
volumes  of  their  books.  The  school  had  been  re- 
commenced about  a year,  under  the  tuition  of  a lay 
teacher,  who  received  1,500  piastres,  and  demanded 
2,000.  He  had  85  pupils,  most  of  them  natives  of  the 
place.  There  was  besides  a school  for  mutual  instruc- 
tion containing  130  scholars.  Both  schools  are  parts  of 
one  establishment,  and,  though  neither  of  them  is  enti- 
tled to  a high  rank,  the  inhabitants  regard  them,  and 
especially  the  higher  school,  as  the  chief  honor  of  their 
town. 

Demetsana  contains  about  350  houses,  generally  two 
stories  high,  and  better  made  than  any  we  had  seen  in 
the  interior  of  the  Peloponnesus.  Under  the  Turks  it 
enjoyed  peculiar  privileges.  By  paying  2,000  piastres 
annually  to  a mosque  in  Constantinople,  the  inhabitants 
somehow  obtained  the  right  of  existing  as  a little  repub- 
lic, though  in  the  midst  of  an  iron-handed  despotism. 
They  elected  their  own  officers  styled  demogerontes , 
who  were  responsible  to  the  people.  Their  churches, 
also,  of  which  there  are  five,  were  allowed  the  use  of 
bells,  and  no  Turk  resided  among  them.  During  the 
revolution,  the  town  was  peculiarly  obnoxious  to  the 
Turks,  as  being  the  great  powder  manufactory  of  the 
Greeks,  and  Ibrahim  once  appeared  with  his  army  on 
the  heights  in  the  vicinity,  but  did  not  think  it  prudent 
to  make  an  assault.  The  determined  mountaineers  sent 
their  wives  and  children  to  inaccessible  retreats  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  were  prepared  for  resistance. 

Our  arrival  at  Demetsana  was  on  Saturday  June  12th. 
With  the  Greeks,  who  continue  to  reckon  time  accord- 
ing to  the  old  style , it  was  the  first  day  of  the  month, 
and  the  priests  were  abroad  making  their  usual  monthly 
visits  to  the  families  in  their  respective  parishes.  We 
had  a specimen  of  these  visits  when  at  iEgina,  where  a 
priest  entered  our  house,  sprinkled  some  consecrated 
water,  and  pronounced  a blessing  upon  the  dwelling, 
and  I think  also  upon  its  inhabitants.  For  this  he  ex- 
pected a small  reward;  and  this  practice,  which  is  re** 


CONVERSATION  WITH  A SCHOOLMASTER.  107 


peated  on  the  first  day  of  every  month,  is  one  of  the 
sources  whence  the  Greek  priesthood  derive  their  scanty 
support.  The  day  following  was  Whitsunday,  or  a 
commemoration  of  the  feast  of  pentecost,  when  the 
Greeks  profess  to  make  extraordinary  supplications  for 
the  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  the  only  time  in  the 
year,  as  I was  assured,  when  they  kneel  in  their  church- 
es— an  attitude  in  prayer  against  which,  for  some  rea- 
son, they  have  strong  prejudices.  We  were  sorry  to  see 
the  shops  open  and  buying  and  selling  in  the  market  as 
on  other  days. 

In  the  afternoon  we  had  a conversation  with  several 
of  the  priests,  in  which  we  informed  them  how  the 
duties  of  the  priesthood  are  understood  and  practiced  in 
our  own  country.  After  they  had  retired,  the  head- 
master of  the  school  was  desirous  of  understanding  more 
fully  the  manner  of  service  in  our  churches.  So  it  was 
described  to  him  in  order, — first,  the  usual  public  exer- 
cises of  the  Sabbath,  then  our  mode  of  celebrating  the 
Lord’s  supper.  In  respect  to  the  latter  he  was  told, 
that,  unlike  the  Romish  church,  we  use  both  bread  and 
wine,  and  that  our  bread  is  leavened.  “So  far,”  said  he, 
“your  customs  are  the  same  with  ours.”  I then  went 
through  the  form  that  is  customary  on  that  occasion,  but 
when  I came  to  the  quotation  from  St.  Paul’s  first  epis- 
tle to  the  Corinthians,  “This  do  in  remembrance  of 
me,”  he  caught  the  words  “in  remembrance ,”  and  re- 
peating them  said  emphatically,  “There  we  differ — you 
receive  the  bread  in  remembrance  of  Christ,  we  as  his 
very  body ” — referring  to  the  doctrine  of  transubstantia- 
tion,  which  was  introduced  into  the  Greek  church  by 
the  Papists  some  ages  since.  I told  him,  that  the  words 
are  those  of  Christ — he  commanded  us  to  do  so  in  re- 
membrance of  him.  “But  we  do  not  use  them,”  he  re- 
plied quickly,  “we  say  ‘This  is  my  body,’  and  that  we 
believe.”  “And  we,  too,  say  the  same,  using  both  ex- 
pressions because  both  are  in  the  scripture  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  Lord’s  supper  is  to  be  celebrat- 
ed.” As  he  doubted  whether  the  words  rendered  “in 


108  CONVERSATION  WITH  A SCHOOLMASTER. 

remembrance”  were  to  be  found  in  the  original  text, 
a Greek  Testament  was  procured,  and  when  he  saw 
them  there  he  seemed  not  to  know  what  further  to 
say.  Probably  there  was  no  conviction  of  error 
wrought  in  his  mind;  but  it  was  pleasing  to  see  (what 
we  repeatedly  witnessed  in  the  Greeks)  that  he  had  not 
yet  learned  to  appeal  from  the  express  language  of 
God’s  word  to  the  glosses  of  interpreters  and  the  de- 
cisions of  councils. 

The  young  man  wished  to  know  the  opinions  of  our 
countrymen  in  reference  to  the  procession  of  the  Holy 
Ghost , which  the  Greeks  believe  to  have  been  from  the 
Father  only,  and  not  from  the  Father  and  the  Son.  It 
is  a point  of  doctrine  which  they  magnify  into  great  im- 
portance. We  told  him  that  it  had  never  been  a sub- 
ject of  controversy  in  our  country,  and  that  we  attribute 
less  consequence  to  it  than  the  members  of  the  Greek 
church  do.  Without  pressing  his  inquiries  on  this  head, 
he  asked  what  creed  we  received.  It  was  replied,  that 
we  assent  to  what  is  called  the  Apostles’  creed,  and  to 
some  others,  but  that  we  regard  nothing  as  binding  on 
our  religious  belief  except  the  Bible — no  acts  of  coun- 
cils, no  articles  of  the  church,  no  creeds:  the  Bible 
was  our  only  authoritative  rule  of  faith  and  worship: 
what  that  contained  we  felt  bound  to  receive;  what  was 
contrary  to  that  we  felt  bound  to  reject. 

In  the  end  he  declared  himself  much  pleased  with 
our  explanations,  as  he  evidently  was.  Some  of  them 
placed  us  in  a more  favorable  light  than  he  had  ex- 
pected. He  said  nothing  to  either  of  us  about  apos- 
tolical succession — made  no  inquiries  touching  the 
validity  of  our  ordination — nor  did  he  appear  to  feel  any 
difficulties  on  that  point.  In  fact  we  never  heard  the 
subject  introduced  by  a Greek;  and  my  own  inquiries 
and  those  of  my  missionary  brethren  in  the  Mediterra- 
nean led  me  to  think,  that  the  members  of  the  oriental 
churches  have  not  yetffiad  their  attention  much  awaken- 
ed to  it.  Should  it  unhappily  become  matter  of  inquiry 


USE  TO  BE  MADE  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES.  109 

and  controversy,  the  missions  of  all  our  western  church- 
es will  suffer— I know  not  but  in  equal  degrees. 

And  here  I may  be  allowed  to  say,  that  the  cardinal 
point  of  Protestantism — that  the  Scriptures  are  the  suf- 
ficient and  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice — never 
appeared  to  me  of  such  vital  importance,  as  when 
among  the  degenerate  churches  of  the  East.  And  I 
believe  he  will  be  likely  to  do  most  good  as  a mission- 
ary to  them,  with  whom  this  is  most  habitually  and 
thoroughly,  both  in  the  letter  and  spirit,  a practical 
principle.  He  should  appeal  to  the  word  of  God  often 
and  habitually,  as  the  only  infallible  oracle  we  have  ac- 
cess to  on  earth,  and  to  other  standards  only  as  they 
tend  to  excite  a reverence  for  that;  for  “the  word  of 
God,”  and  nothing  else,  will  be  found  “quick  and  pow- 
erful, and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword.” 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  take  leave  of  our  venera- 
ble friend,  the  ceconomos.  He  and  his  family  received 
us  with  their  usual  kindness,  and  we  spent  an  hour  in 
agreeable  conversation.  Mr.  King  was  two  days  in  this 
family,  and  they  mentioned  him  with  expressions  of 
high  regard.  The  old  man  appeared  to  rejoice  in  the 
opening  prospects  of  his  country,  and  to  desire  that 
every  part  of  it  might  be  blessed  with  the  lights  of 
science.  At  parting,  he  invoked  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  us,  and  also  “that  of  the  Virgin,  if  we  pleased.” 

We  had  employed  the  same  company  of  muleteers 
ever  since  we  left  Argos;  but  as  the  leader  of  the  party 
was  exceedingly  profane,  and  had  of  late  been  less  at- 
tentive to  our  wishes  than  was  becoming,  we  here  dis- 
missed him  and  his  company.  The  passions  of  this 
man  kindled  and  raged  like  fire  among  the  dry  thorns, 
and  often  made  him  very  unhappy.  He  was  vain  and 
self-willed,  and  thought  much  of  his  former  pre-emi- 
nence when  he  was  captain  of  a band  of  hlephtes — for 
the  klephtes  were  wont  to  glory  in  their  profession.** 

(q)  See  History  of  Modern  Greece,  p.  43— Tliiji  owrrir -w-ft  ropublitu- 
timi  of  “ihe  Modern  ■'Traveller, 77  cm  dig,  .an  ■eycellent  travelling  fiompankn 


10 


110  COSTUME FOOD  OF  THE  PEASANTRY. 

He  was  a sore  trial  of  our  patience;  but  I often  admir- 
ed the  ease  and  lightness  of  his  step  down  the  rough 
mountain  sides.  He  wore  what  is  called  the  Albanian 
dress,  which  is  the  prevailing  costume  of  the  Morea. 
His  jacket  was  short,  embroidered,  without  a collar, 
and  with  the  sleeves  open  below  the  elbow,  so  that  the 
ungathered  sleeves  of  his  shirt  were  exposed  to  view. 
His  vest  buttoned  close,  and  was  also  embroidered. 
Around  his  waist  a sort  of  tunic  was  confined  by  a 
sash,  and  reaching  down  as  far  as  the  knees  hung 
around  them  in  numerous  folds.  The  legs  below  were 
covered  with  a kind  of  embroidered  gaiters,  the  feet 
with  something  between  a shoe  and  a sandal,  and  the 
head  with  a red  skull-cap  surmounted  by  a tassel.  His 
beard  was  shaved,  except  on  his  upper  lip,  as  was  the 
forepart  of  his  head;  but  his  hair  behind  hung  down  upon 
his  shoulders.  Indeed  the  modern  Greeks  generally 
wrear  their  hair  long,  as  did  the  ancients  of  the  same 
country. 

Through  the  agency  of  a clerical  friend,  we  now 
procured  a company  of  Demetsaniari  muleteers,  who 
proved  to  be  more  obliging  and  civil  than  those  from 
Argos.  These  attended  us  as  far  as  Mistras  in  Lace- 
daemon. I have  no  fault  to  find  with  them,  except  one, 
which  is  but  too  common  among  the  lower  classes  of  the 
people,  and  which  is  just  what  we  should  expect  from 
human  nature  in  the  circumstances  of  the  Greeks  for 
ages  past — I mean,  a lamentable  disregard  of  truth.  I 
know  this  is  a heavy  censure,  but  truth  itself  does  not 
allow  so  important  a fact  to  be  passed  in  silence. 
So  far  as  we  employed  the  people  of  these  classes, 
either  as  muleteers  or  as  boatmen,  and  however  then 
characters  varied  in  other  respects,  this  was  true  of 
them  all. — Our  attendants  were  exceedingly  frugal 
in  their  manner  of  living.  So  is  the  working-class 
of  Greeks  generally.  Bread  and  vegetables  are 
their  chief  dependence.  Black  olives,  garlic,  and  fish, 
are  used  in  their  numerous  fasts.  Salt  cheese  half 
pressed,  yagourte,  and  eggs,  give  variety  to  their  feasts. 


SCENERY  TOWARDS  CARYTiENA. 


Ill 


They  prefer  mutton  to  beef,  and  a lamb  dressed  whole 
on  the  great  feast  of  Easter  is  esteemed  the  best  of  all 
meats.  Potatoes  are  seldom  used.  They  eat  little  in 
the  morning,  and  are  not  regular  in  their  meals.  Wine 
they  are  allowed  to  drink  at  all  times,  and  they  appear 
to  love  it,  however  strong  may  be  the  taste  of  the  resin 
employed  in  its  manufacture;  yet  they  do  not  seem 
disposed  to  lavish  their  own  money  very  freely  upon  it. 
The  tendency  is  rather  towards  avarice,  than  prodi- 
gality. I never  saw  a Greek  thoroughly  intoxicated. 
All  ranks  are  greatly  addicted  to  smoking.  When  a 
call  is  made  upon  a Greek  belonging  to  the  higher 
classes,  a pipe  is  one  of  the  four  things  that  are  usually 
offered:  the  others  are  sweatmeats,  water,  and  coffee  in 
a small  cup  placed  in  a filigreed  silver  case. 

At  half  past  five  on  Monday  morning,  June  1 5th,  we 
began  to  descend  from  the  town  across  the  spot  which 
the  Demetsanians  erroneously  regard  as  the  site  of 
Psophis,  believing  their  river  to  be,  of  course,  the  Ery- 
manthus.  We  were  an  hour  in  descending  to  the  river’s 
bed.  The  pretty,  spicy-scented  laurel,  still  known  to 
the  natives  of  the  country  by  the  name  of  daphne , grows 
by  the  path  among  perennial  cascades,  which  tumble 
down  the  green  sides  from  copious  fountains  above. 
Crossing  the  stream,  we  immediately  ascended,  and  for 
an  hour  traversed  the  western  edge  of  a tremendous 
precipice.  This  and  a corresponding  precipice  facing 
it  on  the  east,  between  which  the  Gortynius  finds  a toil- 
some passage,  form  a winding  chasm  grandly  pictur- 
esque in  its  whole  extent.  High  up  in  the  perpendicu- 
lar faces  of  the  calcareous  rock  are  seen  the  caverns, 
to  which  the  people  of  Demetsana  sent  their  families  in 
the  hour  of  danger.  Cells  of  hermits  are  built  in  some  of 
the  caves,  but  are  now  deserted.  A monastery  overhangs 
the  western  verge,  in  which  are  said  to  be  a few  monks. 
The  terraced  acclivity  of  the  ridge  above  the  eastern 
precipice  is  covered  with  vineyards.  Descending  to  the 
stream  again,  we  crossed  it  by  a bridge,  and  passed  over 


112 


CARYTiENA COLOCOTRONES. 


rough,  uninteresting  hills  opposite  Atsicholos,  where  is 
probably  the  site  of  the  ancient  Gortys;  then  leaving  the 
river  to  pursue  its  way  to  the  Alpheus,  we  proceeded  to 
Carytama,  the  residence  of  the  celebrated  Theodore 
Colocotrones,  now  commander-in-chief  of  the  irregular 
troops  of  the  Morea. 

Having  obtained  lodgings  through  the  assistance  of 
the  demogerontes,  we  walked  out  to  see  the  place.  In 
the  middle  ages  it  was  noted  for  its  strength  and  impor- 
tance. In  1805  it  contained  3,000  inhabitants, r and 
now  it  is  the  principal  town  in  the  district  of  the  same 
name.  It  was  burnt  during  the  revolution,  and  the 
number  of  families  at  the  period  of  our  visit  was  said 
not  to  exceed  140.  The  houses  are  scattered  over  the 
foot  of  a high,  conical  hill,  wffiich  is  crowned  by  a 
Venetian  castle  now  in  bad  repair.  This  fortress  is 
under  the  command  of  Colocotrones,  and  his  house  is 
connected  with  it  and  overlooks  the  town. 

The  taxes  of  the  district  of  Carytsena  were  sold  at 
public  auction  in  Tripolitsa  while  we  were  there,  and 
were  bought  by  a commission  from  this  place,  as  we 
were  told,  for  450,000  piastres.8  They  were  now  dis- 
posing of  small  divisions  ol  the  district  in  the  same  man- 
ner, and  a crowd  of  people  were  attending  the  auction 
in  an  open  ground  before  the  office  of  the  demogerontes. 
Passing  through  this  crowd,  and  going  in  quest  of  a 
place  that  would  command  a view  of  the  plain  and 
site  of  Megalopolis  the  ancient  capital  of  Arcadia,  we 
came  upon  two  men  sitting  by  themselves  on  the  ground, 
one  particularly  noticeable  for  his  hard,  rough  features. 
This  was  Colocotrones;  the  other  was  his  secretary. 
We  handed  him  a letter  of  introduction,  and  were 
invited  to  call  at  his  house.  The  old  man  had  been 
elected  the  day  before  a representative  to  the  congress 
to  be  holden  at  Argos,  and  on  our  way  up  to  the  castle,' 

(r)  History  of  Modern  Greece. 

(s)  Thirty  thousand  dollars. — The  taxes  on  lands  which  are  private 
property,  were  said  to  be  one-tenth  of  the  produce]  those  on  lands  be- 
longing to  the  government,  three-tenths. 


MOUNT  LYCiEUS ANDRITSANA. 


113 


an  hour  or  two  afterwards,  we  found  him  seated  on  a 
rock,  with  his  son  John  (generally  called  Gennaeos  on 
account  of  his  bravery)  and  his  priest,  in  consultation 
with  the  extraordinary  commissioner  of  the  province 
whom  we  had  seen  at  Tripolitsa.  Though  rough  in 
manner,  he  aimed  to  be  polite  to  us  in  terms,  and  strongly 
expressed  his  hope  that  while  the  allied  powers  were 
conferring  upon  the  Greeks  the  blessings  of  liberty,  the 
Americans  would  grant  them  those  of  learning.  We 
afterwards  called  at  his  house,  but  found  no  one  to 
receive  us,  except  a younger  son  lately  from  the 
University  of  the  Ionian  Islands.  From  the  top  of  the 
castle  the  prospect  extends  over  a part  of  the  plain  of 
Megalopolis,  at  the  northwestern  corner  of  which  Cary- 
taena  is  situated.  The  plain  is  drained  by  the  Alpheus, 
which  passes  west  of  the  town  in  a deep  channel.  The 
flat-topped  Diaphorte,  the  Lycaeus  of  antiquity,  rises 
beyond,  and  is  the  nearest  summit  of  the  Nomian 
mountains. 

Next  day  we  left  Carytasna  for  Navarino,  crossing 
the  Alpheus  by  a bridge  and  taking  the  road  to  Andritsa- 
na  along  the  northern  side  of  the  Nomian  range.  Some 
parts  of  the  ride  to  that  place  are  truly  delightful.  Dia- 
phorte is  girt  with  a forest,  its  top  is  bald,  and  from  a 
retired  vale  at  its  base  it  looked  beautifully  majestic. 
The  road  also  passed  over  the  sweeping  sides  and 
rounded  summits  of  hills,  where  we  enjoyed  a refresh- 
ing breeze  and  looked  abroad  over  a rich  and  varied 
scenery.  The  nearer  hills  and  valleys  wTere  chequered 
with  hundreds  of  cultivated  fields  smiling  with  the  boun- 
ty of  a beneficent  God.  Andritsana  stands  at  the  head 
of  a descending  valley  partly  filled  with  vineyards. 
Though  it  was  burnt  by  the  Egyptians  and  many  of  its 
houses  are  still  roofless,  others  are  covered  with  slate, 
and  there  are  not  less  than  280  families.  Two  Greek 
gentlemen,  who  spoke  the  Italian  language,  conducted  us 
to  the  school  for  mutual  instruction,  and  interested  us 
much  in  the  account  they  gave  of  it.  The  house  in 
which  this  school  was  taught,  a substantial  two-story 
10* 


114  SITUATION  AT  NIGHT. 

building  of  stone,  was  erected  before  the  revolution  by 
one  of  the  inhabitants,  at  an  expense  of  13,000  piastres.1 
This  same  public-spirited  Greek  also  supported  the 
teacher.  We  found  him  on  the  spot,  and  it  was  with 
much  apparent  pride  and  pleasure  that  his  townsmen  in- 
troduced him  to  us.  He  was  nearly  blind  with  age,  wore 
the  coarse  dress  of  a peasant,  and  seemed  to  be  a hard 
laboring  man,  as  we  were  told  he  actually  was.  All 
that  was  combustible  in  his  praise-worthy  institution  was 
consumed  by  the  Turks  during  the  war,  and  his  private 
property  was  so  much  injured  that  he  is  now  obliged 
to  decline  paying  the  teacher,  and  has  been  able  but 
partially  to  repair  one  half  of  the  building.  The  teacher 
was  educated  at  Demetsana,  and  had  57  pupils,  all  of 
whom  were  boys.  There  were  no  benches,  and  we 
could  not  discover  a printed  book  of  any  kind  in  the 
school! 

We  now  changed  our  course,  inclining  more  toward 
the  south,  and  crossed  over  to  the  other  side  of  the 
range.  Then  descending  a ravine,  crossing  a lovely 
dell,  and  passing  another  “heap  of  cursing”  among  oaks, 
we  came  out  at  evening  into  an  open  lawn  in  the  midst 
of  a forest  truly  Arcadian.  Diaphorte  still  rose  above 
us,  though  in  an  opposite  direction  and  partly  covered 
with  dark  clouds.  A streamlet,  the  first  waters  of  the 
Limax,  glided  by,  and  the  flock  of  a shepherd,  pastured 
here  by  right  of  immemorial  usage,  afforded  us  milk 
and  yagourte.  So  we  pitched  our  tent,  in  the  midst  of 
the  romantic  both  in  nature  arid  association,  and  slept, 
it  may  almost  be  said,  in  the  very  cradle  of  Jupiter — for 
fable  says  he  was  born  in  mount  Lycaeus,  near  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Limax. u We  however  thought  little  of  him; 
but  when,  at  a late  hour  in  the  night,  I went  out,  and 
heard  the  chains  rattling  upon  the  animals,  and  saw  the 
large  fires  kindled  by  our  muleteers,  both  designed  to 
frighten  the  wolves;  when  I thought  of  the  loneliness  oi 
our  situation,  and  that,  though  unarmed  in  a country  so 


(t)  Or  866  Spanish  dollars — a large  sum  for  that  country. 

(u)  Paus.  B.  8.  c.  41. 


ANCIENT  TEMPLE. 


115 


recently  the  seat  of  war  and  so  famous  for  its  moun- 
tain robbers,  we  might  rest  without  the  smallest  appre- 
hension; and  when,  too,  I saw  the  full  moon  pouring  its 
radiance  upon  the  open  ground,  and  confining  the  night 
almost  to  the  forest  of  the  circumjacent  mountains; — my 
thoughts  rose  in  adoration  to  that  Infinite  Being,  who 
fills  and  animates  all  nature  by  his  presence,  and  suffers 
not  even  a sparrow  to  fall  to  the  ground  without  a wise 
and  beneficent  reason.  The  Jupiter  of  classic  Greece 
seemed  not  worthy  to  stand  a moment  in  the  presence 
of  such  a God. 

The  next  morning,  sending  our  baggage  direct  to 
Paulitsa,  we  turned  aside  a little  distance  to  see  the 
celebra-ted  remains  of  the  temple  of  Apollo  Epicurius. 
The  sun  arose  as  we  traversed  the  more  elevated  parts 
of  the  road,  and  spread  light  and  shade  over  the  high- 
lands, but  the  valleys  beneath  were  filled  with  thick 
vapor.  The  sea  occupied  the  more  distant  prospect. 
In  three-quarters  of  an  hour  we  came  suddenly  upon  the 
most  perfect  remains  of  a temple  in  all  the  Peloponne- 
sus, in  solitude  the  most  profound,  on  one  of  the  highest 
parts  of  these  classical  mountains.  Thirty-five  columns 
with  their  architraves  still  stand  as  they  were  placed  in 
the  days  of  Pericles.  The  foundations  of  the  cella , too, 
with  its  three  apartments,  still  remain.  The  structure 
was  composed  of  marble  some  of  it  pink-colored, 
and  must  have  been  exceedingly  beautiful.  It  is  to 
be  noted  as  an  exception  in  this  temple  to  a general 
rule,  that  it  faces  nearly  north  and  south.  The  pagan 
Greek  generally  faced  the  east  in  his  devotions.  This 
is  true  of  the  modern  Greeks;  and  their  churches,  with 
some  exceptions,  stand  east  and  west. 

Our  time  was  too  precious  to  be  spent  in  such  a 
place,  so  we  hastened  on  through  the  little  village  of 
Tragoge,  and  across  the  Limax,  to  the  mean  village 
of  Paulitsa  situated  among  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Phi- 
galeia.  Then  descending  a tedious  declivity  to  the 
Neda,  we  crossed  it  on  a bridge,  and  pitched  our  tent 
beneath  the  shelter  of  an  aged  plane-tree.  The  singu- 


116 


ENTER  UPPER  MESSENIA. 


larly  wild  and  romantic  glen  through  which  the  river 
here  passes,  is  well  wooded  with  this  favorite  of  Grecian 
streams,  together  with  the  ilex  and  laurel.  When  the 
sun  had  declined  three  hours,  we  crossed  a rapid  branch 
of  the  Neda,  and  ascended  a more  steep  and  perilous 
road  than  any  we  had  yet  seen.  To  ride  was  nearly 
impossible,  so  we  dismounted,  and,  assisted  by  a laurel 
stick  each  of  us  had  cut  from  the  banks  of  the  Neda, 
we  climbed  the  rocks,  with  a yawning  gulph  below 
on  our  left.  Then  descending  again  to  the  stream,  we 
crossed  it  a second  time.  And  here  the  contrast  was 
charming.  The  road  suddenly  became  good,  the  trees 
thickened,  the  shade  deepened;  we  had  entered  one  of 
nature’s  arbors,  that  seemed  to  be  stretched  along  the 
melodious  brook  on  purpose  for  the  traveller  after  his 
previous  perils  and  toils.  Crossing  a third  time  and 
following  a branch  coming  in  from  the  west,  we  soon 
emerged  into  an  open  country  in  the  province  of  Upper 
Messenia. 

This  is  the  least  interesting  of  the  seven  provinces  in 
peninsular  Greece,  whether  we  regard  its  natural  fea- 
tures, its  soil,  agriculture,  ancient  history,  or  present 
population. 

Bare  hills  succeeded  the  romantic  neighborhood  of 
Paulitsa,  and  mistaking  our  road  we  followed  a ridge 
north  of  a deep  valley,  till  we  found  ourselves  by  the 
side  of  a lonely  church  with  numerous  graves  around  it. 
Here  we  remarked  a custom  similar  to  one  we  had 
noticed  on  the  island  of  Poros.  Slate-stones  were  so 
piled  over  the  head  of  each  grave  as  to  form  a little 
apartment,  in  which  torches  are  occasionally  inserted. 
These  are  lighted  on  certain  festivals,  when  friends 
resort  to  the  place  to  pray  for  the  repose  of  the  dead. 
We  were  repaid  for  the  loss  of  our  way  by  the  view 
from  this  spot  of  the  rough,  wild  country  to  the  north- 
west, through  which  the  Neda  urges  its  waters  to  the 
sea.  Two  or  three  villages  were  in  sight. 

Retracing  our  steps  we  pursued  a S.  S.  W.  course, 
which  soon  opened  the  country  in  that  direction.  The 


SCRIPTURE  IMAGERY  FROM  PASTORAL  LIFE.  117 

descent  appeared  uninterrupted  over  a naked  tract  oc- 
casionally broken  by  hills,  down  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains in  the  district  of  Contovounia — the  highest  range 
in  the  province  and  one  of  its  most  striking  features. 
Rising  behind  the  town  of  Arkadia  on  the  coast,  these 
mountains  stretch  eastward,  and  form  an  angle  with  the 
Nomian  range,  though  not  connected  with  it.v  At  seven 
we  came  to  a spring  of  water  and  a shepherd’s  fold, 
welcome  objects  when  we  wished  to  encamp,  but  now 
becoming  rather  infrequent.  The  place  was  solitary, 
but  we  had  no  inducement  to  go  farther.  As  has  been 
repeatedly  intimated,  we  felt  nearly  as  safe  in  solitude 
as  in  cities,  and  our  little  cotton  habitation,  which  a boy 
could  carry  with  ease,  made  us  quite  independent. 
When  we  could  find  a smooth,  grassy  surface  for  a floor, 
we  generally  preferred  our  tent  to  the  houses  of  the 
Morea.  It  wras  comparatively  free  from  vermin,  saved 
us  from  many  interruptions,  gave  us  more  time  for 
writing,  and  enabled  us  to  travel  more  rapidly  and 
with  much  less  exposure  of  health.  Without  it  I see 
not  but  we  should  have  been  obliged  to  take  the  beaten 
road  of  travellers,  or  to  have  slept  repeatedly  without 
covering. 

Being  wakeful  at  night,  I occasionally  heard  noises 
from  the  hills,  which  our  attendants  said  proceeded 
from  wolves.  The  watchful  shepherds  shouted,  and 
the  sheep  probably  escaped.  I was  forcibly  reminded 
of  the  “Good  Shepherd.”  Were  the  flock  near  our 
tent  to  be  forsaken  by  the  shepherd  for  a single  night, 
it  would  be  scattered  and  devoured.  Just  as  certainly 
would  it  be  so  with  the  flock  of  Christ  in  this  world. 

One  of  the  great  delights  in  travelling  through  a pas- 
toral country,  is  to  see  and  to  feel  the  force  of  the 
beautiful  imagery  in  the  Scriptures  borrowed  from  pas- 
toral life.  All  day  long  the  shepherd  attends  his  flock, 
leading  them  into  “green  pastures”  near  fountains  of 


(v)  Near  Arkadia  we  had  a distinct  view  of  mount  Taygetus,  through 
the  pass  which  separates  the  two  ranges. 


118  SCRIPTURE  IMAGERY  FROM  PASTORAL  LIFE. 

water,  and  he  chooses  a convenient  place  for  them  to 
“rest  at  noon.”  At  night,  he  drives  them  near  his  tent, 
and  if  there  is  danger,  encloses  them  in  folds,  and  at  the 
first  alarm  he  is  roused  for  their  protection.  They 
know  him,  they  know  his  voice,  they  do  not  flee  from 
him,  they  follow  him.  The  tender  lambs  he  often  keeps 
at  home  while  their  dams  are  feeding  on  the  moun- 
tains, lest  they  be  wearied,  or  lost,  or  fall  down  the  fatal 
steep.  When  travelling  he  tenderly  watches  over  them, 
and  carries  such  as  are  exhausted  in  his  arms,  or  stops 
the  flock  till  they  are  rested.  Such  a shepherd  is  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  his  spiritual  flock.  Nay,  far 
more:  for  he  says,  “I  give  unto  them  eternal  life,  and 
they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them 
out  of  my  hand.”w 

Next  morning,  when  below  the  village  of  Sidero-cas- 
tron,  the  altitude  of  the  mountains  of  Contovounia,  though 
they  were  considerably  nearer,  appeared  less  than  when 
we  first  saw  them  from  the  elevated  road  of  yesterday. 
I remarked  a still  more  striking  difference  between  the 
apparent  altitude  of  Olonos,  as  seen  from  low  ground, 
and  from  the  more  distant  heights  above  Calabryta. 

Crossing  a small  river  and  entering  an  olive  grove  of 
considerable  extent,  we  approached  the  representative 
of  the  ancient  Cyparissiae,  which,  though  in  Messenia, 


’ (w)  John  x,  28.  “Having  had  my  attention  directed  last  night  to  the  words, 
The  sheep  hear  His  voice , and  He  calleih  His  own  sheep  by  name,  &c.  I 
asked  my  man  if  it  was  usual  in  Greece  to  give  names  to  the  sheep.  He 
informed  me  that  it  was,  and  that  the  sheep  obeyed  the  shepherd  when  he 
called  them  by  their  names.  This  morning  1 had  an  opportunity  of  veri- 
fying the  truth  of  this  remark.  Passing  by  a flock  of  sheep,  I asked  the 
shepherd  the  same  question  which  I had  put  to  my  servant,  and  he  gave 
me  the  same  answer.  I then  bade  him  to  call  one  of  his  sheep.  He  did 
so,  and  it  instantly  left  its  pasturage  and  its  companions,  and  ran  up  to 
the  hand  of  the  shepherd  with  signs  of  pleasure,  and  with  a prompt  obe- 
dience which  I had  never  before  observed  in  any  other  animal.  It  is  also 
true  of  the  sheep  in  this  country,  that  a stranger  they  will  not  follow,  but 
will  flee  from  him;  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers.  The  shep- 
herd told  me,  that  many  of  his  sheep  are  still  wi  t.D;  that  they  had  not  yet 
learned  their  names-,  but  that,  by  teaching,  they  would  all  learn  them. 
The  others  which  knew  their  names  he  called  tame.” — Mr.  Hartley's 
Journal  Land.  Miss.  Reg.  for  1830;  p.  223. 


ARKADIA. 


119 


has  unfortunately  acquired  the  name  of  Arkadia .x  It  is 
situated  near  the  sea  shore,  but  has  nothing  that  de- 
serves the  name  of  a port.  Pitching  our  tent  among 
the  trees,  we  ascended  to  the  town,  and  called  on  Joan- 
nes Ambrociades,  governor  of  the  district,  a man  of 
intelligence  and  cultivated  manners,  ready  to  give  all 
the  information  we  asked.  The  extraordinary  com- 
missioner of  the  province  of  Upper  Messenia  being 
absent,  his  department  had  been  divided  into  two  minor 
provinces,  or  districts,  the  northern  including  this  town 
of  Arkadia,  and  the  southern  embracing  the  fortresses 
of  Navarino,  Mothone  and  Corone.  Before  the  revo- 
lution, the  northern  district  contained  between  3,000 
and  4,000  families.  Out  of  these,  owing  to  the  vicinity 
of  the  enemy,  the  unusual  proportion  of  about  2,500 
persons  perished  during  the  war.  Formerly  there  were 
900  families  in  the  town,  of  which  650  were  Turkish. 
Now  there  are  about  270  families,  and  108  of  these  are 
deprived  of  their  male  head.  The  town  was  wholly 
burnt,  but  numerous  walls  of  houses  are  standing,  and 
many  of  them  may  be  repaired  without  great  expense. 
The  governor  stated,  what  our  own  observations  con- 
firmed, that  the  province  is  almost  entirely  uncultivated. 
This  he  attributed  to  the  want  of  working  cattle. 

The  coast  from  Arkadia  to  the  harbor  of  Navarino  is 
bordered  by  a plain  not  of  great  width,  except  along  the 
southern  side  of  the  mountains  already  mentioned,  where 
it  is  bounded  only  by  the  eastern  horizon.  On  the  road 
to  Philiatra  are  immense  quantities  of  the  arbutus.  The 
lentiscus  also,  one  of  the  most  common  shrubs  of  the 
peninsula,  is  very  abundant.  Marine  shells  exist  in  the 
limestone  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  but  the  soil  in 
most  respects  resembles  that  of  the  plains  above  Lala. 
Philiatra  is  a large  village  of  200  or  300  families.  The 
ruins  of  its  straggling,  clay-built  houses  are  embowered 
in  trees.  The  traveller  knows  its  site  by  a tall  cypress, 
which  shoots  up  a dark  column  above  the  soft  green  of 

(x)  I write  it  Arkadia,  to  distinguish  this  town  from  the  province  of  the 
same  name. 


120 


NAVARINO. 


the  olive.  An  hour  from  Philiatra  is  its  harbor,  scarcely 
large  enough  for  two  vessels,  called  by  the  singular  name 
of  Agia  Kyriake.y  Not  a house  is  near.  Here  is  a 
small  stream,  and  half  an  hour  beyond  we  crossed 
another.  Still  a league  further,  the  island  of  Prote  lies 
on  one  hand,  and  the  considerable  village  of  Gargaliana 
on  the  other  upon  a hill.  Then  we  passed  through  a 
cluster  of  vineyards,  some  of  which,  possibly  for  want 
of  owners,  were  grown  over  with  grass  and  fern. 

The  fortress  of  Navarino  is  visible  immediately  on 
rising  from  the  low  ground  around  the  fountain,  where 
we  spent  the  sultry  hours  of  noon.  After  having  wit- 
nessed so  much  of  the  reckless  desolation  which  marked 
the  progress  of  Ibrahim  Pasha  in  the  Peloponnesus,  I 
confess  that  I had  pleasurable  emotions  on  first  behold- 
ing the  theatre  of  an  event  apparently  so  necessary  to 
the  cause  of  humanity  and  of  Greece,  as  the  battle  of 
Navarino.2  There  the  bloody  waves  of  his  ambition 
were  rolled  back  on  his  own  head,  and  the  voice  of  the 
Almighty  was  heard,  “Hitherto  thou  shalt  come,  but  no 
farther-”  Greece  then  rose  from  the  dust; — and  no 
more  may  she  lie  there  again,  except  in  humble,  grate- 
ful submission  to  her  Deliverer,  the  God  of  Heaven. 

Ancient  and  modern  history  conspires  to  give  an  inter- 
est to  Navarino;  but,  excepting  its  fine  harbor  and  an 
alluvial  tract  at  the  head  of  this  harbor  which  is  suscep- 
tible of  cultivation,  there  is  very  little  interest  in  the  sur- 
rounding scenery.  All  the  hills  and  mountains  on  the 
south  and  east  have  a bleak  and  sterile  aspect.  The 
celebrated  island  of  Sphacteria  on  the  west,  where 
Athens  and  Sparta  contended  earnestly  in  war,  is  with- 
out inhabitant,  cultivation,  or  water.  The  promontory 
just  north  of  this,  where  Pylos,  the  venerable  Nestor’s 
capital,  is  supposed  to  have  stood,  is  recommended  to 
notice  only  by  its  ancient  fame.a  Neocastron  (as  the 


(y)  Holy  Sabbath.  (z)  It  occurred  Oct.  20th,  1827. 

(a)  Paliocastron,  or  the  Old  Castle,  is  on  the  promontory  where  Pylos 
is  supposed  to  have  stood — anciently  called  Coryphasium. 


MOTHONE. 


121 


Greeks  generally  call  the  walled  town  of  Navarino,b) 
stands  on  the  east  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  harbor. 
It  was  a Turkish  town,  and  was  sacked  by  the  Greeks 
in  August  1821  with  great  slaughter.®  Ibrahim  retook 
it  in  May  1825,  and  surrendered  it  to  the  French  in 
October  1828.  The  French  general  found  its  houses 
nothing  but  a heap  of  infectious  ruins.d  We  found  the  for- 
tress still  occupied  by  the  French  troops,  who  were  re- 
pairing some  of  its  batteries.  The  few  Greeks  in  the 
place  live  in  a village  of  about  100  temporary  wooden 
houses,  chiefly  shops,  northeast  of  the  castle.  We 
found  the  heat  exceedingly  oppressive;  the  air  seemed 
deleterious;  and,  after  almost  unavailing  endeavors  to 
refit  for  the  remainder  of  our  tour,  we  set  out  for  Mo- 
thone,  Monday  afternoon  June  22d.  We  entered  Nava- 
rino  on  Friday  the  19th. 

The  distance  from  Navarino  to  Mothone  is  little  more 
than  six  miles,  and  between  these  two  places,  east  of 
mount  St.  Nicholas,  is  the  only  carriage  road  we  saw 
in  Greece.  It  was  made  by  the  French  army  for  their 
own  accommodation.  The  groves  of  olive,  mulberry, 
and  cypress  trees,  and  the  Turkish  villas  and  villages, 
which  cheered  the  approaches  of  former  travellers  to 
Mothone,  have  all  been  swept  away  by  the  desolating 
tide  of  war.  The  large  Greek  village  also,  that  for- 
merly existed  north  of  the  walled  town,  has  been  nearly 
all  destroyed,  with  its  gardens  of  oranges,  lemons  and 
pomegranates.  Mavros,  the  governor  of  the  district 
whom  we  saw  at  Corone,  assured  us  that  of  olive  trees 
alone,  at  least  150,000  were  cut  down  by  the  Egyptians 
in  the  vicinity  of  Mothone.  The  soil  is  good,  and  water 
is  obtained  anywhere  a few  feet  below  the  surface. 
The  city,  still  retaining  its  ancient  name  in  the  dialect 
of  the  country,  stands  on  a point  of  land  projecting 
towards  the  island  of  Sapienza.  It  is  strongly  fortified, 
and  underwent  little  change  in  the  war,  as  it  remained 

(b)  The  Greeks  also  apply  to  Neoeastron,  the  name  of  N ctCctpivoi. 

(c)  Howe’s  Greek  Revolution,  p.  52. 

(d)  Report  of  the  Marquis  de  Maison. 

11 


122 


CORONE. 


in  the  hands  of  the  Turks  until  taken  by  the  French  in 
October  1828.  The  head  quarters  of  the  French 
army  were  there  at  the  time  of  our  visit.  The  Greek 
inhabitants  do  not  exceed  500. 

The  other  walled  town  of  Upper  Messenia,  called 
Corone,  is  near  the  southwestern  termination  of  the 
Messenian  gulf.  Much  of  the  country  between  Mothone 
and  this  place  is  broken  into  uninteresting  hills.  Only 
one  of  the  few  fertile  spots,  before  descending  to  the 
plain  of  Corone,  is  cultivated,  and  the  little  village 
which  stood  there  is  deserted.  The  cultivable  part  of  the 
plain  of  Corone  is  perhaps  three  miles  wide  and  eight 
in  length.  Its  soil  is  rather  arid  and  coarse,  but  adapted 
to  the  olive.  A considerable  olive  grove  still  remains 
in  the  vicinity  of  Corone,  though  the  stumps  and  fallen 
trunks  blackened  with  fire  are  frequent.  F arther  north, 
for  more  than  a league,  only  now  and  then  a solitary 
tree  is  standing  where  was  a continuous  forest  till  the 
destroyer  came.  The  Egyptian  army,  as  we  were 
credibly  informed,  cut  and  burned  down  not  less  than 
300,000  trees.  A number  of  ruined  villages  are  scat- 
tered over  this  plain.  In  all  the  district  of  Corone  con- 
taining 4,000  inhabitants,  there  were  said  not  to  be  30 
yoke  of  oxen. 

In  the  city  we  were  allowed  to  occupy  one  of  the 
public  offices,  in  an  edifice  that  once  belonged  to  a 
Turkish  bey,  and  was  ornamented  with  painted  ceilings 
and  stained  glass.  The  police  officer  of  the  place,  and 
the  governor  already  mentioned,  repeated  the  usual 
attentions.  The  town  contains  600  inhabitants.  Its 
history  during  the  war  is  the  same  with  that  of  Mothone. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  PELOPONNESUS. 

Province  of  Lower  Messenia — Arable  ground  bordering  on  the  gulf— Nisi— 
River  Pamisus  and  its  plain — Mane — Calamata — Villages  and  fruit  trees  on 
the  east  side  of  the  valley  of  Messenia — Fountain  of  the  Pamisus — JVlessene — 
Plain  of  Stenyclerus — Defile  of  Derberiia — Again  enter  Arcadia — De- 
lightful change  of  air — Leontari — Plain  of  Megalopolis  and  other  objects  seen 
from  the  castle  of  Leontari— Enter  the  province  of  Laconia— Sabbath  at  the 
Fountain  of  the  Eurotas — Villages  and  cultivated  plain — Manner  of  treating 
the  mulberry  trees  ahd  silkworm — Superstition  of  the  evil  eye — Laconian 
rose  —Plain  of  Sparta-Splendid  scenery  around  Mistras — Mistras—Greek 
antipathy  against  the  Jews — Lacedaemon — View  from  the  castle  of  Mistras — 
Produce  of  the  plain— Sparta— Sclabo  Chori — Middle  regions  of  the  Taygetus — 
District  of  Bardounia -Marathonesi — Population  and  products  of  Mane — 
Helos — Cross  the  Malaic  peninsula-  Monembasia— End  of  the  tour  and  re- 
marks upon  it — Extent  of  the  desolations  occasioned  by  the  war — Extent  of 
agriculture — Trees  and  shrubs— Wild  animals. 

While  I remained  at  Corone  to  make  certain  inquiries 
of  the  bishop  of  the  province,  and  afterwards  proceeded 
by  water  to  Calamata,  Mr.  Smith  took  the  route  by 
land  round  the  head  of  the  gulf.  Where  the  high 
Licomeda  descends  to  the  shore  near  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  gulf,  he  supposed  himself  to  enter  the 
province  of  Lower  Messenia.  Beyond  the  moun- 
tain the  shore  recedes  from  the  range  of  hills  on  the 
left,  making  room  for  a narrow,  alluvial  plain,  which, 
together  with  the  declivity  of  the  hill,  is  under  partial 
cultivation.  On  this  plain  are  some  fragments  of  an- 
cient brick  buildings.  Four  or  five  streams  cross  it  in 
rapid  succession,  and  up  the  banks  of  these  extend  as 
many  branches  of  the  plain,  generally  planted  with  maize. 
Here  mount  Ithome  stands  out  in  full  view  at  no  great 
distance  northward.  A higher  tract,  a league  in  extent, 
between  the  last  of  these  streams  and  Nisi,  is  covered 
with  vineyards  interspersed  with  olive  and  fig-trees,  but 
sadly  neglected.  The  same  neglect  is  apparent  in  the 
gardens  around  Nisi.  This  town,  before  the  revolution, 


124 


NISI CALAMATA. 


was  inhabited  chiefly  by  Greeks.  It  now  contains 
about  300  families  in  summer,  and  more  in  winter  when 
they  come  down  from  the  snow-covered  mountains. 
The  houses  are  built  of  unburnt  bricks,  generally  of  one 
story,  and  many  of  them  are  in  a ruined  state,  as  the 
town  lay  on  Ibrahim’s  road  to  and  from  Tripolitsa. 
Scarcely  anything  could  be  obtained  in  the  market 
except  bread  and  cucumbers,  which  seem  to  be  the 
principal  food  of  the  inhabitants  at  this  season. 

The  plain  of  the  Pamisus  stretches  eastward  from 
Nisi,"  and  between  that  place  and  Calamata  it  is  four  or 
five  miles  broad.  The  Pamisus  is  a narrow  and  clear 
river,  neither  rapid  nor  sluggish,  and  not  so  deep  but 
that  it  is  easily  forded.  The  plain  on  both  sides  is  a 
perfect  level,  verdant  and  rich  in  pasturage  for  flocks 
of  goats  and  herds  of  cattle  and  horses  that  were  scat- 
tered over  it,  while  the  surrounding  country  was  at  that 
time  yellow  and  parched.  A part  of  the  plain  is  too 
wet  for  cultivation,  but  might  be  drained.  Rice  was 
once  attempted,  but  occasioned  so  great  a mortality  in 
the  neighboring  villages  that  it  was  abandoned.  The 
peasants  were  ploughing  the  dryer  parts  for  maize.  On 
the  eastern  side  are  orchards  of  mulberry  and  fig-trees, 
and  vineyards,  with  hedges  of  the  prickly  pear. 

We  met  at  Calamata  on  the  morning  of  June  25th. 
On  my  way  across  the  gulf,  the  day  before,  I had  con- 
templated the  wild  and  rugged  fastnesses  of  Mane  with 
a strong  desire,  in  which  my  companion  fully  participat- 
ed, to  see  their  singular  and  interesting  inhabitants.  In- 
deed we  were  under  some  obligation  to  visit  Tsimoba 
far  down  on  the  western  coast,  having  solicited  and  re- 
ceived at  jRgina  a letter  from  Mavromichales  to  his 
family  and  vassals  in  that  district.  But  the  reasons  for 
not  going  to  that  place  were  conclusive. 

Calamata  is  the  principal  town  in  the  province,  and 
the  chief  place  for  the  interchange  of  commodities  for 
the  whole  valley  of  Messenia,  but  it  has  no  secure  port. 
It  stands  a mile  from  the  gulf,  beneath  the  huge  masses 
of  the  Taygetus.  In  summer  the  heat  is  excessive. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  THE  PAMISUS.  125 

The  families  are  about  400,  who  are  repairing  their 
town.  Many  of  the  shops  had  been  put  in  the  best 
order,  and  the  bazar  looked  more  neat  and  elegant  than 
any  we  had  seen  in  the  country.  Not  more  than  thirty 
Turkish  families  resided  in  Calamata  before  the  revolu- 
tion, and  most  of  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  had  Greek 
owners.  I remarked  loopholes  in  some  of  the  walls  of 
the  houses  opening  in  the  direction  of  the  street,  intend- 
ed as  a precaution  against  piratical  invaders. 

Our  road  to  Leontari  ran  up  between  the  Pamisus 
and  mount  Taygetus,  and  we  left  Calamata  in  the  after- 
noon of  Thursday  June  25th.  This  part  of  the  province 
appears  tolerably  well  peopled.  Four  considerable 
villages  occurred  the  first  six  miles.  At  one  of  these,  a 
woman  drew  water  for  our  animals,  reminding  us  of  an 
interesting  scene  in  scripture  history. a For  three- 

quarters  of  an  hour  after  leaving  Calamata  we  travelled 
through  olive  groves,  in  which  10,000  trees  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  destroyed  during  the  war.  Passing 
on,  a rich  succession  of  vineyards,  with  orchards  of 
mulberry  and  fig-trees,  occupied  nearly  two  hours  more. 
Tall  hedges  of  cactus  lined  much  of  the  road  on  each 
side,  and  occasionally  enclosed  the  orchards.  Some- 
times, too,  the  blackberry  vine  entwined  itself  into  this 
formidable  hedge.  Opposite  the  first  two  villages, 
whole  orchards  of  fig-trees  had  been  cut  down. 

We  passed  the  night  about  twelve  miles  from  Cala- 
mata, at  the  little,  solitary  church  of  St.  Florus.  Here, 
at  the  foot  of  a spur  of  mount  Taygetus  which  it  sends 
out  toward  Ithome,  and  from  three  distinct  apertures  in 
the  rock,  bursts  out  the  Pamisus.  This  remarkable 
fountain,  which  probably  has  its  reservoir  among  the 
mountains,  was  once  sacred  to  heathen  rites  of  purifi- 
cation. It  is  shaded  by  majestic  plane-trees,  and  its 
waters  immediately  enter  a marshy  tract,  which  is  the 
commencement  of  the  plain  of  Pamisus.  Neither  the 
plain  nor  the  river  can  exceed  14  or  15  miles  in  length. 


11* 


(a)  Genesis  xxiv.  20. 


126 


PLAIN  OF  STENYCLERUS. 


It  has  been  remarked  by  a traveller,  that  the  air  is 
seldom  salutary  where  flies  are  found  in  great  abun- 
dance.b Myriads  of  musketoes  infested  our  tent  at 
night,  and  we  had  other  and  decisive  proofs  of  an  im- 
pure atmosphere. 

The  site  ofMessene,  on  mount  Ithome,  will  always  be 
interesting  to  the  philanthropist,  associated  as  it  is  with 
one  of  the  most  affecting  tragedies  in  the  history  of  suf- 
fering freedom.  It  is  also  referred  to  by  modern  trav- 
ellers as  presenting  a more  perfect  specimen  of  ancient 
fortifications,  than  is  to  be  found  anywhere  else  in 
Greece.0  But  we  could  not  visit  it  without  losing 
another  day,  and  exposing  ourselves  that  length  of  time 
to  the  burning  heats  of  Messenia,  which  had  already 
rteduced  us  to  the  borders  of  disease:  so  we  hastened  to 
respire  again  the  cooling  breezes  of  Arcadia.  Crossing 
a ridge  of  hills  through  the  little  ruined  village  of  Scala, 
we  entered  the  circular  plain  of  Stenyclerus,  now  called 
Lacus  from  a village  of  that  name  on  our  left.  It  pro- 
duces the  rose  laurel  and  agnus  castus  in  some  places, 
and  abundance  of  wild  thyme,  the  food  of  bees.  The 
soil  seems  to  be  excellent,  but  it  exhibited  few  marks  of 
cultivation.  Near  the  distant  villages,  of  which  there 
are  five  or  six,  there  are  probably  fields  and  gardens. 
Except  the  hills  on  the  south,  the  plain  is  surrounded 
by  mountains.  At  the  foot  of  these  mountains,  on  the 
northeast,  we  passed  the  khan  of  Tsakona,  and  began 
to  ascend  the  defile  of  Derbenia  towards  Leontari. 
This  was  the  high  road  of  the  Egyptians  between  the 
Messenian  fortresses  and  Tripolitsa,  and  here  the  Greeks 
sometimes  disputed  their  passage. 

An  ascent  of  little  more  than  an  hour  brought  us  upon 
the  top  of  the  connecting  ridge  between  Lycaeus  and 
the  Taygetus.  After  so  long  a ride  over  the  barren 
hills  and  sultry  plains  of  Messenia,  it  was  refreshing  to 
find  ourselves  again  on  an  Arcadian  mountain.  The 
oaks,  the  coolness,  even  an  impending  shower  which 


(b)  Dr.  Clarke. 


(c)  History  of  Modern  Greece. 


PLAIN  OF  MEGALOPOLIS. 


127 


soon  fell  upon  us,  and  the  rumbling  thunder  among  the 
loftier  summits,  were  all  welcome.  Our  gratitude  was 
heightened,  by  looking  from  under  our  cloudy  canopy 
down  the  long  ravine  upon  the  plain,  then  burning  be- 
neath an  unclouded  noon.  As  we  rode  along  the  de- 
file, the  peaks  of  the  Taygetus,  partly  covered  with  fir, 
were  constantly  in  view  almost  above  us  on  the  right; 
and  when  we  began  to  descend,  the  country  opened  in 
diversified  and  beautiful  aspects.  At  length,  having 
crossed  the  cultivated  valley  of  the  now  dry  Xerila,  we 
ascended  to  Leontari. 

Three  hundred  Turkish  families  formerly  inhabited 
this  place.  At  the  commencement  of  the  revolution 
they  fled  to  Tripolitsa,  and  the  Greeks  burnt  their  town. 
A mosque  was  spared,  an  ancient  building  that  had 
been  originally  erected  for  a church,  and  has  since  been 
restored  to  its  primitive  uses.  About  40  Greek  fami- 
lies live  among  the  ruins,  so  miserably  poor  that  we 
could  find  only  barley  bread  among  them,  unbolted, 
black,  heavy,  and  to  us  unpalatable.  I observed  that 
our  muleteers  reduced  it  to  a powder,  which  they  moist- 
ened with  oil,  and  in  that  state  appeared  to  relish  it. 
The  prospect  from  the  remains  of  the  citadel  above 
the  town,  is  thought  by  some  travellers  the  most  beauti- 
ful and  interesting  of  any  in  Greece.  Here  is,  indeed, 
the  most  classical  portion  of  Arcadia,  and  the  birthplace 
of  romance  and  pastoral  song.  In  front,  to  the  north, 
spreads  out  the  whole  plain  of  Megalopolis,  much  the 
largest  in  the  province,  and  abounding  in  groves  of  oak. 
Its  undulating  surface,  that  is  not  thus  covered,  is  de- 
voted to  pasturage,  or  yellow  with  ripe  barley  and 
wheat,  or  recently  ploughed  for  maize.  A little  east  of 
north,  marked  by  a cypress,  is  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Megalopolis.  Among  the  mountains  on  the  right,  you 
see  the  defile  where  the  Alpheus  rises  and  commences 
its  course  to  the  northwest,  receiving  a tributary  stream 
from  each  of  the  valleys  of  Leontari.  Then  turning  to 
the  left  and  sweeping  the  eye  round  to  the  right,  you 
see  Ellenitsa,  a sharp  peak  of  the  Taygetus — then  the 


128 


ENTER  LACONIA. 


bare  Tetratsi,  one  of  the  summits  of  Lycaeus,  where 
the  fabled  Jupiter  was  nursed,  and  where  are  said  to  be 
still  found  the  remains  of  Lycosuru,  “the  oldest  of  all 
cities  that  continents  or  islands  contain,  the  first  the  sun 
ever  saw,  and  from  which  men  learned  to  build  cities”d — 
then  the  other  peaks  of  the  Nomian  range — then  the 
town  of  Demetsana,  and  beyond  it  Olonos  at  a great  dis- 
tance— then  the  mountains  of  Tripolitsa,  of  Argos,  &tc. 
till  you  come  round  to  the  wide  and  broken  valley  lead- 
ing to  the  territories  of  ancient  Sparta. 

This  valley  is  at  first  undulating,  and  partially  culti- 
vated with  vines  and  grain,  but  farther  on  it  is  broken  up 
into  every  variety  of  hill  and  hillock,  dell  and  dale.  An 
hour  or  more  from  Leontari  is  the  highest  ground  be- 
tween the  plain  of  Megalopolis  and  the  valley  of  the 
Eurotas,  and  somewhere  in  this  vicinity  we  conjecture 
the  line  to  be,  which  separates  the  provinces  of  Arca- 
dia and  Laconia. 

The  country  continues  to  be  sprinkled  with  oaks,  and 
to  retain  a pastoral  aspect,  and  the  descent  is  very  grad- 
ual for  some  time  among  broken  hills.  Then,  entering 
a ravine,  the  day  following  our  arrival  at  Leontari,  we 
were  conducted  into  a narrow,  winding,  cultivated  val- 
ley an  hour  long.  The  village  of  Cyparissos  lay  on  the 
right,  and  above  it  a rugged  mountain  rose  suddenly  to 
a great  elevation — the  commencement  of  the  highest 
range  of  the  Taygetus.  Crossing  a branch  of  the  Eu- 
rotas called  Cotitsa,  passing  through  a cluster  of  bar- 
ren hills,  traversing  a more  regular  surface  moistened 
by  springs  and  partially  cultivated,  and  descending  into 
a narrow  valley,  we  found,  after  dark,  the  fountain  for 
which  we  had  been  looking.  It  was  the  valley  of 
Sparta,  and  the  fountain  is  reputed  to  be  the  head-wa- 
ters of  the  Eurotas.  The  stream  is  less  than  issues  from 
the  fountains  of  the  Erasmus  and  the  Pamisus,  but  is  con- 
siderable, and  hewn  stones  lying  around  mark,  perhaps, 
the  site  of  a fane  anciently  dedicated  to  the  presiding  gen- 


(d)  Paus.  viii.  38. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  THE  EUROTAS. 


129 


ius.  The  waters  pass  off  in  two  little  streams  through  a 
pretty  orchard  of  mulberry  trees.  Here,  beneath  the  shade 
of  the  trees,  between  the  two  little  streams,  remote  from 
human  dwellings,  and  in  solitude,  we  spent  the  Sabbath 
day.  Delightful  retirement — and  the  more  highly  prized 
because  it  was  in  perfect  contrast  to  our  situation  at 
Navarino  on  the  previous  Sabbath.  Truly  it  was  good 
to  be  there.  The  benevolence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  led 
him  to  suffer  the  people  among  whom  he  travelled  to 
make  large  demands  upon  his  time,  and  his  sinless  na- 
ture could  maintain  its  spiritual  fervor  without  retire- 
ment. Still  he  ascended  mountains  and  went  into  des- 
ert places  in  search  of  it,  and  often,  we  may  suppose, 
pillowed  his  sacred  head  on  the  cold  ground,  rather 
than  forego  the  satisfaction  afforded  by  solitary  reflec- 
tion and  prayer.  The  fountain  of  the  Eurotas  possesses 
classical  associations  which  make  it  interesting;  but  with 
me  it  has  associations  of  a higher  order,  that  will  cause 
me  long  to  remember  it  with  heartfelt  pleasure/ 

The  sun  had  not  gilded  the  summits  of  the  Taygetus 
on  Monday  morning,  when  we  resumed  our  journey. 
We  soon  entered  an  extensive  plain,  washed  by  the 
Eurotas  on  the  east,  and  irrigated  by  a number  of  rivu- 
lets from  the  mountains.  In  one  part  the  plain  extends 
to  the  Taygetus,  along  the  base  of  which  appear  Geor- 
gitsi,  Alevrou,  Castania,  Castri,  Bordonia,  and  Longis- 
tro,  all  Greek  villages,  and  only  part  of  them  burnt. 
The  plain  is  fertile,  and  pretty  well  cultivated,  espe- 


(e)  I have  similar  associations  connected  with  another  classical  spot  in 
Ithaca,  which  afforded  me  a hallowed  retreat  during-  part  of  the  Sabbath 
I spent  in  that  island.  In  the  Ionian  Islands  the  Sabbath  is  the  day  of  all 
the  seven  for  visiting-  and  amusement.  And  if  any  one  is  inclined  to  call 
upon  you,  to  invite  you  to  his  house,  to  show  you  the  place,  or  to  pay  you 
special  attention  in  any  other  manner,  he  is  more  likely  to  take  the  Sab- 
bath for  it,  than  any  other  day.  This  is  often  done,  too,  with  such  feel- 
ings of  real  kindness  and  courtesy,  and  with  so  little  apprehension  that  it 
can  be  unpleasant  to  you,  (for  it  would  not  be  so,  perhaps,  to  any  other 
person  with  whom  your  friend  is  acquainted,)  that  it  sometimes  requires 
no  small  share  of  wisdom  to  know  what  to  say,  or  to  do. — The  same  evil 
is  experienced  in  every  Roman  Catholic  community  I have  yet  seen.  In- 
deed where  would  the  traveller  not  be  liable  to  it,  in  a greater  or  less 
degree  ? 


130 


INSTANCE  OF  SUPERSTITION. 


cially  with  grain  and  with  the  mulberry.  The  mulberry 
trees,  being  designed  for  silkworms,  are  not  allowed  to 
branch  out  in  the  natural  manner  and  bear  fruit,  but  are 
kept  closely  trimmed;  the  branch,  when  the  leaves  are 
to  be  stripped  from  it,  being  cut  off,  and  new  ones  per- 
mitted to  grow  the  following  year/ 

Our  muleteers  here  betrayed  a superstition,  which  I 
have  since  understood  to  be  common  among  the  lower 
classes  of  Greeks.  The  mule  I rode  upon  was  a valu- 
able animal,  and,  while  his  owner  was  walking  by  my 
side,  I took  occasion  to  praise  him.  Instead  of  seem- 
ing pleased,  the  man  seriously  requested  me  to  spit  upon 
the  beast.  It  turned  out  on  explanation,  that  he  was 
afraid  my  good  opinion,  thus  expressed,  would  operate 
as  a fatal  charm  upon  the  object  of  it,  and  the  charm 
was  to  be  broken  in  the  manner  proposed.  Pano  said 
he  had  been  previously  requested  to  do  the  same  thing, 
and  for  a similar  reason.  It  was  the  superstition  of  an 
evil  eye — said  to  have  been  prevalent  among  the  ancient 
Greeks  and  Romans,  the  Jews,  and  early  Christians, 
and  known  to  affect  the  Turks  and  all  their  subjects. 


(f)  The  eggs  of  the  silk-worms  are  wrapped  in  a cloth,  and  the  worms 
are  hatched  at  the  end  of  April  or  beginning  of  May.  Young  mul- 
berry leaves  are  then  put  upon  them.  The  worms  mount  upon  the 
leaves,  and  are  placed  on  round  shallow  baskets.  Small  leaves  are  given 
to  the  worm  once  a day,  or  once  in  two  days,  the  leaves  increasing  in 
size  as  the  worm  increases.  After  15  days  it  sleeps  two,  sheds  its 
skin,  eats  12  days,  having  fresh  leaves  in  the  morning  of  each  day. 
Then  it  sleeps  two  more,  changes  its  skin,  has  leaves  twice  a day,  and 
is  removed  from  the  basket,  usually  into  a frame  of  reeds  12  or  14 
feet  long  and  five  or  six  broad.  These  frames  are  placed  one  above  the 
other,  at  intervals  of  eight  or  ten  inches,  forming  as  many  stories  as  the 
height  of  the  room  will  permit.  At  Calamata  these  rooms  are  in  private 
houses.  The  worm  now  eats  10  days,  sleeps  two,  sheds  his  skin  again, 
has  fresh  leaves,  morning,  noon,  and  evening — eats  eight,  sleeps  three, 
and  once  more  sheds  his  skin.  Again  they  have  leaves  three  times  a day, 
cease  eating  after  eight  days,  and  begin  to  climb  upwards.  The  branches, 
upon  which  they  are  to  spin,  are  then  spread  upon  the  frame,  and  the 
worms  form  the  coucoulia ^kovmuxio..)  Sometimes  two,  three,  or  four  spin 
together,  and  make  a large  coucouli.  At  the  end  of  15  days  the  coucou- 
lia are  placed  in  the  sun,  now  in  its  solstice,  and  the  chrysalis  is  killed  by 
the  heat. — The  coucoulia  that  are  reserved  to  furnish  eggs,  are  not  thus 
exposed,  and  the  moths  soon  afterwards  eat  their  way  out : they  live  three 
days. — The  worms  are  so  delicate,  that  thunder,  or  even  the  report  of  a pis- 
tol, will  sometimes  kill  them. — Abridged  from  Leake’s  Description , vol.  1, 
p.  349. 


SCENERY  AROUND  MISTRAS. 


131 


The  same  notion  is  attributed  to  the  Highlanders  of 
Scotland,  and  to  the  people  of  Cornwall  in  England. 
The  Ionian  Greeks  have  it;  and  our  interpreter,  a na- 
tive of  Ithaca,  remembers  being  carried  by  his  mother 
to  be  kissed  by  a colored  person,  as  the  most  effectual 
antidote  to  this  kind  of  fascination.  Whether  evil  spir- 
its are  supposed  to  have  any  agency  in  this  case,  I do 
not  know;  but  I have  somewhere  seen  it  stated,  that 
praise  is  supposed  to  provoke  their  envy  and  ill  will. 
The  Greeks  believe  that  evil  spirits  sometimes  haunt 
houses,  and  one  of  their  books  of  devotion  has  a prayer 
expressly  for  such  occasions.^ 

Where  the  plain  is  terminated  by  low  hills  run- 
ning down  from  the  foot  of  Taygetus  we  came  upon  the 
Eurotas,  now  a considerable  stream  known  by  the  name 
of  Eres , with  its  banks  in  some  places  supported  by 
polygonal  walls.  The  hills  occasionally  give  place  to 
little  alluvial  tracts  covered  with  mulberry  orchards  and 
corn  fields.  The  elegant  rhododaphne,  probably  the 
Laconian  rose,  attends  the  streams  in  this  province,  as 
the  plane  tree  does  those  of  Arcadia  : it  blossoms  twice 
in  a year.  The  agnus  castus,  also,  is  a frequent  shrub 
in  Laconia.  At  length  the  plain  of  Sparta  opens,  wa- 
tered by  the  Eurotas,  and  cultivated  as  before.  Enter- 
ing the  hills  on  the  right  and  passing  the  ruined  arches 
of  an  ancient  aqueduct  leading  towards  Sparta,  we 
came  out  on  the  western  side;  and  then  the  scenery  of 
Mistras  bursts  upon  us  in  all  its  grandeur.  The  inter- 
vening plain  of  Lacedaemon  is  full  of  pleasing  images, 
but  the  mind  hurries  from  these  to  the  gigantic  forms 
of  the  Taygetus,  here  displayed  to  the  greatest  advan- 
tage. The  highest  ridge  is  fringed  with  snow,  and 
stretches  magnificently  along  till  it  finds  its  loftiest  sum- 
mit in  the  peak  of  St.  Elias,  at  an  elevation  of  nearly 
8,000  feet.11  We  pitched  our  tent  near  the  modern 
town  of  Mistras,  which  lies  along  the  foot  of  the  moun- 


(g)  The  “Enchologion.”  See  JowetCs  Christ.  Researches  in  the  Medi- 
terranean, p.  36. 

(h)  2,417  metres,  or  7,910  feet.  Greek  Gazette. 


132 


MISTRAS. 


tain,  and  immediately  called  on  Joannes  Genoubeles, 
the  extraordinary  commissioner  of  the  province,  an  el- 
derly man  of  paternal  aspect  and  character,  who,  with 
the  principal  town  officer,  gave  us  much  information. 

In  former  ages  Mistras  was  one  of  the  strongest 
places  in  the  Peloponnesus,  and  the  despots  of  the  Morea 
made  it  their  principal  residence.  When  Mohammed 
II.  overran  the  peninsula,  it  served  them  as  an  asylum. 
The  Venetians  afterwards  occupied  it,  then  the  Turks, 
then  the  Russians  during  the  war  of  1 769.  In  that  war 
the  original  town  on  the  sides  of  the  castle  hill  was  de- 
stroyed, and  it  has  ever  since  remained  a ruin.  The 
present  town  is  at  its  foot,  along  by  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  Before  the  revolution  it  contained  about 

7.000  inhabitants,  of  whom  nearly  2,000  were  Turks, 
who,  with  the  very  few  Jews  in  the  place,  fled  to  Tripo- 
litsa,  where  most  of  them  were  destroyed.1  Mistras 
was  sacked  and  burnt  by  Ibrahim,  when  he  overran 
Laconia,  and  consists  now  of  indifferent  houses,  irregu- 
larly constructed  among  the  ruins,  and  inhabited  by 
about  150  families.  Its  situation  beneath  the  mountains 
renders  it  exceedingly  warm,  and  the  heat,  with  the  low 
grounds  of  the  plain,  makes  it  unhealthy. 

The  province  of  Laconia  is  supposed  to  contain 

55.000  inhabitants;  and  30,000  of  these  are  said  to 
reside  in  the  district  of  Mistras,  which  the  government 
has  dignified  by  restoring  to  it  tfle  ancient  name  of 
Lacedaemon.  It  is  one  of  the  most  important  dis- 
tricts of  the  Peloponnesus.  The  number  of  its  vil- 
lages is  150.  Of  the  80,000  Turks  believed  to  have 


(i)  No  Jew  is  known  to  reside,  at  present,  in  Greece.  When  the 
Greek  Patriarch  Gregorius  was  hanged  by  the  Turks  at  Constantino- 
ple, the  Jews  volunteered  their  services  to  cast  his  body  into  the  sea. 
“Some  fellows  of  the  lowest  description  were  brought  from  Hassa  Kui  for 
the  purpose,  and  they  dragged  his  corpse,  by  the  cord  by  which  he  was 
hanged,  through  the  streets  with  gratuitous  insult.  This  circumstance, 
with  others  of  a similar  nature,  so  increased  the  former  antipathy  of  the 
Greeks,  that  they  revenged  themselves  on  every  Jewr  that  fell  in  their  way, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  insurrection,  with  the  most  dreadful  retalia- 
tion.” WalsiSs  Journey , p.  8. — This  explains  why  they  fled  with  the 
Turks  and  shared  their  fate. 


PLAIN  OF  LACEDiEMON. 


133 


been  in  the  Morea  previous  to  1821,  Lacedaemon  con- 
tained at  least  10,000,  besides  3,000  soldiers. 

We  viewed  the  plain  of  Lacedaemon  first  from  the 
castle  of  Mistras,  then  from  one  of  the  eminences  on 
the  site  of  Sparta,  and  afterwards  we  travelled  through 
it.  Our  ascent  to  the  castle  was  in  a most  singular  and 
sublime  chasm,  that  looks  as  if  it  had  been  made  by 
some  great  convulsion  of  nature.  Down  this  a torrent 
pours,  and  through  it  you  see  the  broad  side  of  the 
snow-crested  Paximadi,  one  of  the  five  summits  of 
Taygetus,  three  or  four  miles  distant.  When  on  the 
battlements  of  the  castle,  some  of  the  principal  objects 
accessible  to  the  eye  are — the  town  of  Mistras — the 
plain  of  Lacedaemon — the  site  and  ruins  of  Sparta — the 
Eurotas — the  mountains  beyond,  rising  gradually  in 
height  till  they  bound  the  horizon  and  stretch  down  to- 
wards the  Malaic  promontory — Paximadi,  through  the 
gulf  behind — and  the  hoary  head  of  St.  Elias  above  a 
lower  ridge,  a sort  of  outpost  from  the  great  natural 
rampart. 

The  ruins  of  Sparta  lie  east  of  Mistras,  distant  three 
quarters  of  a league,  but  the  name  of  the  proud  city  is 
now  forgotten  in  the  undistinguishing  appellation  of 
Palceopolis , or  the  Ancient  City.  Our  road  to  it  was 
lined,  a part  of  the  distance,  by  a row  of  olive  trees  on 
each  side,  but  the  ground  was  principally  occupied  by 
the  mulberry.  A considerable  quantity  of  silk  is  pro- 
duced from  this  plain.  Before  1770,  Mistras  often  ex- 
ported 50,000  okes  of  silk  per  annum;  and  the  olive 
plantations  around  produced,  in  good  years,  2,400,000 
okes  of  oil,  reputed  to  be  the  best  in  the  Morea,  of 
which  nearly  a fifth  part  was  exported.!  After  crossing 
the  Magoula  on  an  elevated  arch  near  which  is  a mill, 
it  is  less  than  a mile  to  the  low  hills,  upon  and  around 
which  are  the  vestiges  of  the  ancient  city.  Thorns  and 
thistles  grow  on  the  hills,  the  contiguous  plain  is  wet 


( j)  Leake’s  Travels  in  the  Morea.  An  oke  is  about  two  pounds  and 
three  quarters. 


12 


134  DISTRICT  OF  BARDOUNfA. 

and  insalubrious,  and  from  the  hills  we  saw  no  traces  of 
present  inhabitants.  The  ruins  of  Sparta  are  not  abun- 
dant, and  almost  the  only  one  that  was  intelligible  to  us, 
in  the  few  minutes  we  were  there,  was  that  of  the  the- 
atre, in  which  the  usual  regard  seems  to  have  been  had 
to  prospect  in  its  location;  for  the  spectators  on  its  seats 
would  look  out,  not  only  upon  the  fertile  plain  around, 
but  upon  the  whole  broad  side  of  the  mountain  directly 
in  front. 

We  travelled  through  orchards  of  mulberry  trees  in- 
terspersed with  olive  groves  and  solitary  fig-trees,  till 
we  came  to  Sclabo  Chori,  two  miles  and  a half  from 
Sparta,  and  about  six  from  Mistras  by  the  direct  road, 
whose  appearance  is  as  mean  as  its  name.k  It  is,  how- 
ever, the  representative  of  Amyclae,  a place  celebrated 
in  ancient  romance.  South  of  this  place,  the  soil  is 
less  plentifully  watered,  and  is  generally  bare  and  un- 
cultivated. A deep  gorge  in  the  lower  range  of  rocky 
heights  immediately  overhanging  the  plain,  here  leads 
into  the  middle  and  cultivated  regions  of  the  Taygetus, 
and  a large  column  of  smoke  ascended  as  if  from  a vil- 
lage. The  plain  of  Lacedaemon  terminates  about  ten 
miles  from  Mistras,  and  thenceforward  we  travelled  an 
uneven  country  till  we  reached  the  shores  of  the  gulf. 
This  forms  the  district  of  Bardounia,  and  was  formerly 
inhabited  by  a tribe  of  Albanians  remarkable  for  their 
predatory  habits.  The  war  has  swept  them  away,  and 
nothing  remains  to  tell  that  they  have  been,  except  the 
white  towers  of  their  chieftains  seen  here  and  there 
among  the  hills.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  met  a 
number  of  mules  loaded  with  masses  of  the  buhrstone, 
i mported  from  the  island  of  Melos  for  millstones,  for 
which  it  is  said  to  be  particularly  excellent.  The  night 
was  spent  at  a khan  near  the  considerable  village  of 
Bretsoba  with  a partial  cultivation  around.  The  khangi 
brought  his  daughter,  a pretty  little  girl  five  years  old, 

o our  tent  door,  saying  she  had  a desire  to,  look  in — 


(k)  Slave  Village. 


MANE. 


135 


an  instance  of  singular  attention  for  a father  in  this  part 
of  the  country  to  show  his  daughter.  In  the  morning 
before  sunrise  he  was  seen  standing  at  the  door  of  his 
house  with  his  face  toward  the  east,  bowing  and  cross- 
ing with  frequent  repetitions.  Mount  Elias  now  pre- 
sented a new  aspect,  the  greater  part  of  its  southern 
declivity  being  exposed  to  view.  Long  streaks  of  snow 
ran  down  the  ravines.  As  we  descended  towards  the 
gulf,  we  met  a drove  of  oxen  just  imported  from  Asia 
Minor.  Finally,  after  passing  under  an  argillaceous  cliff 
of  formidable  aspect,  and  over  a small  plain  the  site  of 
the  ancient  Gythium,  a narrow  pavement  conducted  us 
along  the  side  of  a barren  hill  facing  the  gulf,  to  the 
town  of  Marathon esi,  the  port  of  the  valley  of  the  Euro- 
tas.  All  was  rock  and  barrenness,  and  we  could  not 
find  a grassy  spot  on  which  to  pitch  our  tent.  We 
therefore  rode  to  the  police  office,  and  were  invited  to 
lodge  in  that.  Three  hundred  families  inhabit  Mara- 
thonesi,  and  the  town  has  an  air  of  thrift.  Ibrahim  did 
not  venture  to  enter  it,  or  was  unable  to  do  so,  and  a 
neat,  pretty  church,  with  a steeple  and  bells,  proclaimed 
that  we  were  now  among  the  rocks  of  unconquered  Mane. 

The  district  of  Mane  occupies  the  range  of  the  Tay- 
getus,  from  the  vicinity  of  Calamata  and  Mistras  to  cape 
Matapan,  the  extremity  of  the  peninsula,  and  of  the  Eu- 
ropean continent.  We  viewed  it  at  a distance  on  every 
side,  having  been  obliged  by  head  winds  to  coast  along 
much  of  its  western  shore  on  our  return  from  Smyrna 
in  August;  and  it  seemed  one  mass  of  bare  and  rocky 
mountains,  gradually  declining  in  height  from  the  peak 
of  St.  Elias  towards  Cacovoulia  at  the  south.  Mr. 
Smith  thought  he  had  never  seen  a spot  that  seemed 
less  inviting — not  even  the  Arabian  desert.  Yet  among 
these  rocks  are  117  villages,  containing  8,700  families, 
and  42,000  souls.1  Twenty-five  years  ago,  from  350,000 


(1)  Our  information  was  derived  from  the  independent  and  almost 
concurring  testimony  of  a brother  of  Mavromichales,  whom  we  saw  fit 
Calamata,  and  Janitakes  captain  of  the  eastern  district,  who  resides  at 
Marathonesi. — Since  the  above  was  written,  I find  that  Col.  Leake  assigns 
the  same  number  of  villages  to  Mane. 


136 


MONEMBASIA. 


to  450,000  okes  of  oil  were  obtained  in  favorable  sea- 
sons, chiefly  on  the  western  side.  Of  cotton  they  pro- 
duced 60,000  okes,  of  silk  2,000,  of  honey  10,000;  and 
Mane  and  Bardounia  produced  20,000  okes  of  galls. 
Yet  industry  had  then  greatly  declined,  and  the  people 
were  distressingly  poor.™  The  information  we  receiv- 
ed led  us  to  think  that  their  circumstances  had  not 
since  materially  improved. — Mane  is  divided  into  three 
districts;  one  on  the  eastern  side,  under  the  captainship 
of  Janitakes,  belonging  to  the  province  of  Laconia; 
the  other  two  on  the  western  side,  connected  with 
Lower  Messenia.  The  captains  respectively  reside  at 
Marathonesi,  Tsimoba,  and  Cardamoula,  and  are  inde- 
pendent of  each  other;  but  their  power  has  been  con- 
siderably reduced  since  the  organization  of  the  present 
Greek  government. 

The  long  journey  by  land  to  Monembasia  seeming  too 
arduous,  we  engaged  a boat  to  take  us  across  the  gulf, 
and  at  half  past  two  in  the  morning  of  July  3d  went  on 
board.  The  wind  being  light  the  sun  rose  before  we 
had  got  half  the  distance.  The  boatmen  pointed  to 
the  district  of  Helos , — as  the  tract  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Eurotas  is  still  called  by  everybody;  while  the  name  of 
Sparta , its  proud  oppressor,  has  perished  from  the 
ground  occupied  by  the  city,  and  is  applied  by  the  na- 
tives only  to  Mane.  We  were  landed  on  the  desolate 
coast  of  the  Malaic  peninsula,  and,  having  cut  a hole  in 
a clump  of  bushes  to  shelter  ourselves  from  the  burning 
sun,  sent  in  search  of  a village.  One  was  found  half  an 
hour  inland  where  we  obtained  animals,  and  the  next 
morning  at  nine  we  entered  Monembasia,  so  named  be- 
cause it  has  but  a single  entrance. 

This  is  an  island  connected  by  a bridge  with  the 
main  land.  It  consists  of  an  oblong  mountain  extend- 
ing east  and  west,  with  a high,  perpendicular  precipice 
on  every  side,  skirted  at  the  base  with  a narrow  border 
sloping  rapidly  to  the  sea.  On  this,  at  the  southeast 


(m)  Leake’s  Travels. 


ftEMARKS  upon  the  tour. 


137 


side,  lies  the  city  surrounded  by  walls.  From  the  city 
a zigzag  pathway  has  been  wrought  up  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  here  less  precipitous,  to  the  castle  at  its  top. 
In  this  part  the  castle  is  defended  by  walls,  but  on  every 
other  part  the  precipice  is  its  only  defence.  It  appear- 
ed to  us  decidedly  the  strongest  place  in  the  Morea,  but 
is  said  to  be  exposed  to  shells  from  the  opposite  moun- 
tain. It  early  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Greeks,  and 
has  ever  since  remained  in  their  possession.  The  in- 
habitants were  chiefly  Turks,  and  they  left  behind  them 
houses  enough  to  contain  three  times  as  many  families 
as  now  reside  there.  The  present  number  is  about 
100.  There  is  a convent  here,  which  dates  its  origin 
as  far  back  as  the  reign  of  the  emperor  Andronicus 
Comnenus,  in  the  twelfth  century;  and  the  metropolitan 
bishop  of  Monembasia  takes  precedence  of  the  patri- 
archs of  Alexandria  and  Antioch  in  the  synod,  in  virtue 
of  an  edict  from  the  emperor  Andronicus. — Having  no 
good  harbor,  nor  flourishing  back  country ,n  the  natural 
strength  of  Monembasia  will  be  of  little  use  to  the  nation 
in  times  of  peace. 

We  here  completed  our  travels  in  the  Peloponnesus, 
for  we  proceeded  by  water  from  this  place  to  iEgina. 
The  circuit  had  been  wearisome,  though  interesting, 
and  began  already  to  seem  more  like  a dream  than  a 
reality;  so  new,  so  varied,  so  fleeting  had  been  the 
scenes  we  witnessed.  One  impression  remained 
strong,  and  I hope  will  never  be  effaced, — that  of  the 
merciful  protection  we  had  experienced  from  the  Prov- 
idence of  God.  Our  path  had  often  led  where  a false 
step,  or  the  breaking  away  of  a little  earth,  would  have 
sent  us  headlong  down  fearful  steeps  to  certain  death. 
We  had  been  exposed  by  day  to  burning  heat,  and  to 
noxious  air  at  night,  but  without  either  loss  or  serious 
injury  of  health.  We  had  experienced  the  favor  and 
respectful  attention  of  rulers  and  people  with  scarcely 


(n)  Yet  here  was  once  manufactured  the  celebrated  Malmsey  or  Mo- 
nembasia wine. 

12* 


138  DESOLATIONS  OCCASIONED  BY  THE  WAR 

an  exception,  and  had  enjoyed  numerous  facilities  for 
gaining  authentic  information  on  the  subjects  that  were 
the  principal  objects  of  our  tour.  These  tokens  of  the 
divine  goodness  I record  with  humble  gratitude,  for  the 
encouragement  of  such  as  may  follow  us  on  the  benev- 
olent errand  of  supplying  Greece  with  the  means  of  in- 
tellectual and  moral  culture. 

In  our  progress  through  the  Peloponnesus,  it  was  af- 
fecting to  behold  the  extent  of  the  devastations  occa- 
sioned hy  the  late  war.  In  the  province  of  Elis,  we 
saw  no  place  that  had  not  been  destroyed.  In  the 
province  of  Achaia,  we  saw  only  one  or  two,  and  those 
in  the  interior.  We  witnessed  no  exemptions  from  gen- 
eral ruin  among  the  towns  and  villages  of  Argolis,  ex- 
cept the  walled  city  of  Nauplion  and  a few  towns  in 
the  southern  districts.  In  Arcadia,  the  Egyptians  rav- 
aged every  plain,  nearly  every  valley  and  mountain,  and 
almost  every  town,  village  and  hamlet,  that  came  in  our 
way.  Fire  and  sword  appear  also  to  have  been  carried 
entirely  through  the  two  provinces  of  Messenia;  for  we 
saw  no  place  and  heard  of  none  that  had  not  been  laid 
waste,  except  the  fortresses  of  Mothone  and  Corone: 
and  in  Upper  Messenia  nearly  half  a million  of  olive 
trees  were  said  to  have  been  destroyed.  In  Laconia, 
the  only  place  we  visited  that  did  not  exhibit  the  dire- 
ful effects  of  war,  was  the  town  of  Marathonesi  in  Mane. 
Nearly  the  whole  of  Mane,  however,  appears  to  have 
escaped  the  rage  of  the  enemy. 

From  this  rapid  survey  it  would  seem,  that  the  flames 
were  carried,  either  by  Turk,  Arab,  or  Greek,  over 
almost  the  whole  extent  of  the  peninsula.  Such 
was  the  fact;  and  the  few  towns  and  villages  which  sur- 
vive the  general  ruin,  are,  without  any  prominent  ex- 
ceptions, either  walled,  or  situated  in  remote  parts  of 
mountainous  peninsulas  and  promontories,  or  in  obscure 
recesses,  or  on  almost  inaccessible  steeps. 

Little  had  been  done  towards  rebuilding  the  towns, 
and  a long  period  must  elapse  before  the  fruit-trees  can 
be  replaced.  Indeed  a year  had  not  elapsed  when  we 


EXTENT  OF  CULTIVATION. 


139 


made  our  tour,  since  the  evacuation  of  the  country  by 
its  terrible  scourge,  the  Egyptian  army.0  Yet  had  great 
progress  been  made  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  I 
have  aimed  to  give  some  idea  of  this  in  the  preceding 
pages.  To  this  species  of  industry  the  people  now  had 
strong  inducements,  both  in  the  necessities  of  their  fam- 
ilies and  in  the  unwonted  security  of  their  possessions. 
The  government  had  also  extended  aid  to  the  impov- 
erished cultivators  of  the  soil.  About  the  time  of  our 
entrance  into  Greece,  the  President  wrote  to  the 
provincial  rulers  of  insular,  peninsular,  and  continen- 
tal Greece,  saying  that  he  designed  to  appropriate 
1,000,000  of  francs,  or  about  200,000  dollars,  from  the 
French  subsidy,  towards  providing  seed,  oxen,  and  im- 
plements of  husbandry,  in  the  way  of  a loan  to  such  as 
had  been  reduced  to  penury  by  the  war,  and  di- 
recting them  to  make  the  necessary  inquiries.1*  Yet 
many  must  have  found  great  difficulty  in  procuring  seed 
and  the  necessary  aid  of  cattle  and  tools;  and  consider- 
ing these  embarrassments,  and  the  general  poverty  of 
the  people,  and  the  smallness  of  their  number,  the  pro- 
gress of  agriculture  was  to  us  matter  of  great  surprise. 
On  the  western  and  northern  maritime  plains,  from  Nav- 
arino  round  to  Bostitsa,  we  saw,  indeed,  but  little  culti- 
vation; the  plains  of  Corinth,  Cleonae  and  Nemea,  of 
Tegea,  Mantinea,  Lala  and  Stenyclerus,  and  the  valley 
of  the  Pamisus,  were  to  a great  extent  used  only  for 
pasturage;  and  there  were  numerous  other  arable  tracts 
in  every  part  of  the  country,  that  remained  yet  to  be 
subjected  to  the  plough.  Still  there  are  few  points  of 
observation,  from  which  the  eye  would  not  rest  upon  cul- 
tivated patches,  and  often  the  number  of  them  would  be 
great.  Thus  the  number  would  appear  large  from  any 


(o)  The  last  relict  of  this  army  left  the  Peloponnesus  in  October,  1828. 
— Despatch  of  the  Marquis  de  Maison. 

(p)  At  the  same  time  the  President  gave  encouragement  that,  should 
the  treasury  receive  the  assistance  he  hoped  for,  he  would  appropriate 
another  sum  to  aid  the  inhabitants  of  the  cities  in  rebuilding  their  houses. 
— Soon  after  he  published  an  order,  that  regular  plans  should  be  observed 
in  rebuilding  the  different  cities. 


140 


EXTENT  OF  CULTIVATION, 


point  commanding  the  plain  of  Argos,  or  the  country 
about  Calabryta,  or  about  Bostitsa,  or  the  upper  valley 
of  the  Alpheus,  or  the  plain  of  Megalopolis,  or  the  vale 
of  Sparta.  And  where  extensive  views  were  impossible 
owing  to  the  face  of  the  country,  the  traveller  would  yet 
often  be  delighted  with  narrow  strips  of  cultivation, 
winding  along  the  shore  or  among  the  hills  and  moun- 
tains. An  instance  of  the  former  kind  we  found  be- 
tween Bostitsa  and  the  plain  of  Corinth;  and  of  the  lat- 
ter, in  the  southern  districts  of  Argo! is,  and  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  Ladon,  and  in  the  vale  of  the  Eryman- 
thus,  and  many  other  places.  Where  perennial  streams 
afford  the  means  of  summer  irrigation,  maize  is  planted, 
and  this  is  found  on  the  banks  of  nearly  all  such  streams. 
But  where  almost  the  only  irrigation  is  from  winter  and 
vernal  showers  and  the  dews  of  the  night,  as  is  the  case 
in  hundreds  of  instances,  wheat  or  barley  is  grown;  or 
vineyards  are  planted;  or  else  there  are  olive  groves,  as 
on  the  plains  of  Corinth,  Lacedaemon,  Calamata,  and 
Corone;  or  orchards  of  fig-trees,  as  in  Lower  Messe- 
nia;  or  of  mulberry-trees,  as  in  Laconia;  or  of  cherry, 
walnut  and  almond-trees,  as  at  Lala;  or  of  lemon-trees, 
as  at  Damala  opposite  the  island  of  Poros. 

It  is  not  to  be  understood,  that  I have  attempted  any- 
thing like  an  enumeration  of  all  the  products  of  the 
Peloponnesus,  or  of  all  the  places  where  the  articles 
that  have  been  named  are  cultivated.  In  both  cases  I 
have  merely  selected  the  more  prominent  that  fell  under 
our  notice.  Nor  can  I even  conjecture  what  propor- 
tion of  the  land  is  cultivable,  or  under  cultivation. 
Certainly  there  is  much  arable,  much  excellent  soil,  and 
hut  a small  proportion  of  this  is  yet  occupied  by  the 
husbandman.q 


(q)  The  following  statement  of  the  products  of  the  Peloponnesus  in 
1814,  is  founded  on  the  authority  of  M.  Pouqueville. 


Provinces.  Value  of  Agricultural  Produce. 

Argolis, Piastres  5,474,000 

Laconia, 5,670,000 

Lower  Messenia, 3,721,000 


FOREST  TREES. 


141 


Th e forest  trees  in  the  two  provinces  of  Argolis  and 
Messenia,  appeared  to  be  very  few.  In  some  parts  we 
observed  an  abundance  of  shrubbery,  such  as  the  myr- 
tle, the  lentiscus,  the  arbutus  or  strawberry-tree,  and 
the  oleander.  Pine  woods  grow  on  the  northern  hills 
of  Argolis.  The  cactus  and  agnus  castus  flourish  in 
Lower  Messenia.  The  agnus  castus  is  also  very  abun- 
dant in  the  province  of  Laconia,  and  is  companion  to 
the  rhododaphne  or  Laconian  rose,  which  imparts 
gaiety  to  the  water-courses.  Descending  towards  the 
gulf,  we  find  the  oak  scattered  over  the  pastures.  The 
magnificent  plane-tree  shades  and  adorns  the  streams  of 
Arcadia.  Willows  grow  on  some  of  the  northern  riv- 
ers. Laurels  overhang  the  Neda,  and  aged  chesnuts 
the  Erymanthus.  Forests  of  oak  are  found  on  the 
Nomian  and  Erymanthian  ranges,  and  on  the  table 
lands  above  Lala  and  apparently  over  all  that  part  of 
the  Peloponnesus.  The  ilex  is  frequent  in  other  parts. 
The  hills  in  the  region  of  Olympia  are  covered  with 
pines,  and  firs  grow  everywhere  on  the  loftier  mountains. 


Upper  Messenia,  2,874,300 

Elis, 5,793,500 

Achaia 3,175,500 

Arcadia, . 5,493,500 


Piastres,  32,201,800 

Or  about  2,146,000  dollars. — The  taxes  and  contributions  levied  upon  the 
inhabitants  amounted  to  12,808,045  piastres.  See  Malte  Brun , vol.  4, 
p.  153. 

The  subjoined  view  of  the  sales  of  tithes  in  some  of  the  southern  dis- 
tricts for  the  years  1827  and  1828,  (excepting  Corone,)  was  given  me  by 
the  chief  demogeron  of  Calamata.  As  he  gave  it  from  memory,  the 
account  may  not  be  perfectly  accurate.  A part  of  the  increase,  too,  is 
probably  owing  to  a more  strict  attention  from  the  government  to  the 
manner  in  which  the  sales  were  effected.  That  for  the  district  of  Corone 
rests  on  the  authority  of  the  inspector  of  police  for  that  district.  All  the 
districts  except  the  two  last  are  in  Lower  Messenia. 

Districts.  1827.  1828. 

Calamata,  ....  24,000  piastres.  86,000  do. 
Micromane,  ....  20,000  75,000 

Imlakia, 32,000  156,000 

Nisi 20,000  80,000 

Corone, 16,000  110,000 

Mistras,  ....  400,000  1,100,000 

The  rate  of  taxation  was  stated  at  p.  112. 


142 


WILD  ANIMALS. 


The  Lombardy  poplar  we  saw  but  once,  in  the  valley  of 
Catsanes.  The  cypress  is  occasional,  and  so  is  the 
hawthorn,  the  sumac,  the  ash,  the  beach,  and  the 
maple. 

Among  the  wild  animals  are  the  jackal  and  the  wolf, 
found  in  solitary  places.  The  ancients  used  to  chase 
the  goat  and  wild  hog,  the  stag  and  the  bear,  among 
the  rocks  of  mount  Taygetus.  The  deer  is  still  found 
in  the  higher  regions  of  the  principal  summits.  The 
roe-buck  and  wild  hog  are  sometimes  seen  on  the  banks 
of  rivers  ; and  it  is  said  that  even  the  bear  may  yet  be 
pursued  on  the  mountains  of  Arcadia  and  Laconia. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  AEGEAN. 


Western  Sporades— Hydra—  Appearance  of  the  town — Census— History  of  the 
island — Commerce  and  maritime  power — Intercourse  with  the  people — Spetsa 
— Reception— Recent  history— Principal  causes  of  safety  to  the  traveller  in 
Greece— Remarks  on  the  system  of  passports — Poros — Burying  ground — View 
of  the  island  and  town — Women — Visit  to  the  temple  of  Neptune — Monastery — 
JEgina, — May-day — Temple  of  Jupiter  Panhellenius — Refugees — Description 
of  the  town  and  island — Grecian  society — A monk  requests  that  his  Epitome  of 
the  Gospels  may  be  printed — Northern  Cvclades — General  aspect  of  the  isl- 
ands —Syra — Roman  Catholic  town — Hermoupolis—  Tenon — St.  Nicholas — Mar- 
riage of  Mr.  King — Governor  of  the  N.  Cyclades — Church  of  the  Evangelista — 
— Andros — Myeonos — Delos — Return  toSyra — Desolation  and  neglect  that  have 
befallen  the  more  sacred  places  of  ancient  Greece — Scio — Voyage  to  Smyrna — 
Return  to  Malta. 

We  visited  iEgina,  Poros,  Hydra,  and  Spetsae,  the  prin- 
cipal islands  of  the  Western  Sporades.  Our  par- 
ticular attention  was  first  turned  to  Hydra , where  we 
arrived  in  a caique, a on  Monday  May  2d.  The  pre- 
ceding day,  which  was  as  fair  as  our  fairest  in  June,  we 
spent  rather  uncomfortably  at  Poros.  It  was  a market 
day,  and  from  a hill  on  the  other  side  of  the  harbor  I 
heard  the  hum  of  business  in  the  market  place.  The 
coasts  and  islands  between  Poros  and  Hydra  are  not 
interesting.  Hydra  itself  is  a barren  rock.  But  on 
turning  the  eastern  point  of  the  principal  harbor,  the 
town  opens  like  an  enchantment.  It  is  the  only  town 
in  the  island,  contains  nearly  13,000  native  inhabitants,5 
and  the  white  houses,  thickly  set  and  out-topping  one 


(a)  An  open  boat. 

(b)  Census  of  Hydra,  taken  in  the  spring  of  1828,  for  a copy  of  which 
we  were  indebted  to  our  countryman  Doct.  Russ. 


Houses  inhabited,  2,602 

Shops,  504 

Churches,  48  large  and  7 small,  55 
Inhabitants : 

Hydriotes,  12,915 

Strangers,  3,177 16,092 


Males,  8,040 

Females,  8,059 

Families,  2,917 

Monasteries  for  men,  5 
Monasteries  for  women,  1 


144 


HVDRA. 


another  as  they  ascend  from  the  water  high  up  the 
rocky  hill,  are  together  an  exhibition  of  surprising  beauty. 
A nearer  view  increases  the  traveller’s  surprise — at  the 
dimensions  of  the  houses,  their  structure,  their  furniture, 
their  elegance. 

This  island  appears  not  to  have  been  inhabited  in  the 
classic  days  of  Greece.  Its  present  inhabitants  had  the 
same  general  origin  as  their  Albanian  neighbors  of  the 
Argolic  peninsula,  and  retired  here  to  escape  Moslem 
oppression.®  Before  the  Russian  war  of  1769,  they 
were  few  in  number,  but  when  the  Ottomans  came 
again  into  possession  of  the  Morea  after  that  war,  Hydra 
was  one  of  the  asylums  of  those  who  fled  from  the  pro- 
scriptions which  ensued.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
French  revolution,  there  were  only  a few  latine  vessels 
and  fishing  boats  belonging  to  the  island. d But  this 
event  threw  into  their  hands  a lucrative  carrying  trade, 
gave  spirit  and  boldness  to  their  enterprise,  increased 
the  number  and  size  of  their  vessels,  and  extended  their 
commerce  from  the  Black  Sea  and  Egypt  to  the  west- 
ern countries  of  the  Mediterranean;  and  one  of  their 
vessels  even  ventured  across  the  Atlantic  to  our  own 
shores.  Some  of  the  inhabitants,  and  especially  the 
two  Conduriottis,  became  exceedingly  rich.  At  home, 
the  Hydriotes  enjoyed  perfect  liberty  under  a domestic 
government  of  their  own  creation,  and  the  protection  of 
the  Captain  Pasha,  and  no  Turk  was  allowed  to  do  more 
than  set  his  foot  on  the  island.  But  on  the  sea,  their  com- 
merce enjoyed  no  protection,  and,  to  defend  themselves 
from  the  Barbary  pirates,  they  invariably  went  armed 
with  from  eight  to  thirty  cannon,  and  were  manned  with 
from  35  to  70  men.®  It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  con- 
nection between  cause  and  effect,  and  between  one 
event  and  another.  The  result  was,  that,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Greek  revolution  in  1821,  the  Turks, 


(c)  See  L’Etat  actuel  de  la  Civilization  dans  la  Grece ; par  Coray  . 
1803. 

(d)  Leake’s  Travels.  (e)  Coray5  id. 


INTERCOURSE  WITH  THE  PEOPLE. 


145 


to  their  great  surprise,  found  this  little  island  prepared, 
in  money,  ships  and  arms,  to  take  the  sea  against  them 
with  a respectable  squadron.  One  of  the  most  intelli- 
gent of  the  citizens  told  us,  that  they  then  had  80 
square-rigged  vessels.  He  said  the  number  had  since 
been  reduced  to  little  more  than  30,  though  less 
than  300  Hydriotes  were  slain  during  the  war.  The 
enemy  never  attacked  the  city,  nor  ventured  between 
the  island  and  continent. 

There  is  no  public  inn  at  Hydra,  but  the  demoge- 
rontes  are  always  ready,  when  requested,  to  provide 
lodgings  for  strangers.  We  must  acknowledge  our  ob- 
ligations to  Mr.  Orlando,  to  captain  Antonio  Miaules, 
(a  son  of  the  admiral,  who  was  then  in  the  frigate  He- 
las  before  Naupactus,)  and  to  Count  Palma,  an  ex- 
patriated Piedmontese  nobleman  resident  at  Hydra. 
These  gentlemen  made  our  stay  both  pleasant  and  prof- 
itable. Miaules  intimated  that  he  was  himself  preparing 
a history  of  their  revolutionary  war  for  publication. 
The  day  after  our  arrival  was  the  festival  of  St.  George, 
the  patron  of  the  island,  when  the  shops  were  generally 
closed,  business  stood  still,  and  the  people  employed 
themselves  in  calling  on  such  of  their  friends  as  bore 
the  name  of  the  saint.  At  Mr.  O.’s  we  were  introduced 
to  a priest  as  American  clergymen.  For  a moment  he 
was  silent  and  thoughtful,  and  asked  our  friend,  in 
Greek,  whether  we  were  going  to  remain  in  Greece 
and  had  brought  any  books.  Being  answered  in  the 
negative,  his  kindness  of  disposition  got  the  better  of  his 
prejudices,  and  he  cordially  welcomed  us  to  the  island. 
He  even  kissed  our  hands,  a compliment  which  we  of 
course  returned.  Then  he  made  his  sons,  two  fine 
looking  lads,  bow  before  us  and  repeat  the  same  cere- 
mony; which,  they  say,  is  a tribute  of  respect  customary 
to  their  bishops.  After  this  unexpected  honor,  we  ac- 
companied our  friends,  and  among  them  the  priest,  to 
the  house,  or  palace  (for  such  it  may  be  called,)  of 
George  Conduriotti,  once  president  of  the  Greek  sen- 
ate. There  we  found  the  two  brothers  and  a consid- 
13 


146 


SPETS.&* 


erable  company,  and  saw  an  illustration  of  the  power  of 
wealth  to  confer  rank  and  consequence  upon  the  pos- 
sessors. 

The  persons  of  the  Hydriote  sailors  are  uncommonly 
large  and  muscular,  and  they  dress  remarkably  well. 
Their  manners  are  reserved  and  perhaps  proud,  but 
those  with  whom  we  had  business  were  kind  and  re- 
spectful. The  females  lead  a retired  life,  though  a 
stranger  who  brings  letters  that  entitle  him  to  confi- 
dence, (as  we  infer  from  our  own  experience,)  is  intro- 
duced to  the  members  of  the  family. 

Spetsce  is  less  mountainous  and  rough  than  Hydra, 
but  quite  as  barren.  Its  only  town  contains  about  2,000 
houses.  These  are  scattered  irregularly  upon  an  east- 
ern declivity  sloping  to  the  water’s  edge,  without  any 
regard  to  streets,  though  great  neatness  is  everywhere 
apparent.  We  were  recommended  to  the  intendant 
of  police,  who  took  us  to  his  house,  and  sat  down 
with  us  to  a plentiful  repast,  while  his  wife  and  son,  as 
the  etiquette  is  when  they  intend  great  hospitality,  serv- 
ed at  the  table  and  after  supper  offered  us  coffee  and 
pipes.  In  a corner  of  the  room  where  we  lodged,  stood 
a picture  of  the  Virgin,  with  a lamp  burning  all  night 
before  it.  The  next  day  was  a fast,  and  Pano  could 
find  no  provisions  exposed  for  sale  except  what  it  was 
allowable  to  eat.  We  dined  within  the  rules  of  the 
Greek  ritual,  upon  fish  cooked  in  oil. 

The  number  of  square-rigged  vessels  belonging  to 
this  island  before  the  revolution  was  60;  it  has  since 
been  reduced  nearly  one  half.  Not  more  than  200  of 
the  inhabitants  were  killed.  Once  the  Turks  threaten- 
ed an  attack,  and  the  women  and  children  were  sent 
for  safety  to  Hydra  and  the  opposite  peninsula,  but  the 
united  squadrons  of  the  two  islands  repulsed  the  enemy. 
We  ascertained  that  the  Greek  fleet  which  attacked 
Beyroot  in  1826,  and  occasioned  so  much  alarm  and 
trouble  to  our  brethren  there,  belonged  to  this  island. 
Their  object  was  plunder/ 


(f ) See  Missionary  Herald,  vol.  xx.  p.  354. 


WHY  TRAVELLING  IS  SO  SAFE  IN  GREECE.  147 

For  twenty  piastres  we  engaged  a good  boat,  with 
two  masts  and  large  cotton  sails,  to  take  us  to  Poros, 
perhaps  35  miles  distant.  The  smallness  of  the  price 
shows  the  cheapness  of  labor.  The  wind  failing,  we 
were  overtaken  by  night  a little  beyond  Hydra;  so  we 
stopped  in  an  uninhabited  cove,  not  long  since  a piratical 
haunt,  and  there  we  slept  in  quiet  and  security  upon  the 
ballast  of  our  boat. — Two  things  contributed  essentially 
to  the  safety  we  uniformly  felt  in  Greece,  both  by  land 
and  water — a safety  not  imaginary,  but  real:  First , 
the  disarming  of  the  people  which  had  been  effected 
by  the  President;  and  secondly , the  system  of  pass- 
ports which  he  had  also  instituted.  This  system  is  made 
applicable  to  travelling  by  land  and  by  water,  and  thus 
conveys  a feeling  of  responsibility  through  the  whole 
community.  It  is  most  rigidly  enforced,  however,  upon 
the  water,  probably  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  pi- 
racy. Every  boat  has  a regular  clearance;  every  pas- 
senger, whether  Greek  or  stranger,  has  a passport;  and 
the  passengers  must  be  accounted  for  at  the  port  of 
their  destination.  An  instance  is  related  where  a 
man  was  left  at  an  island  near  the  gulf  of  Patras,  and 
the  boat  proceeded  to  Corinth  without  any  document  to 
show  that  he  had  been  disposed  of  properly.  The  boat 
was  seized  by  government,  and  the  owner  compelled  to 
go  in  quest  of  proof  that  the  man  had  been  well 
used.  And  once  or  twice  we  requested  to  be  put  on 
shore  at  a different  place  from  that  for  which  we  had  em- 
barked, but  the  boatmen  declined,  on  the  ground  that 
they  would  be  liable  to  inconvenience  should  we 
not  be  forthcoming  on  their  arrival.  Our  impressions 
were  not  favorable,  when  we  found  ourselves  unexpect- 
edly subjected  to  this  system  upon  first  landing  in  the 
Peloponnesus.  It  seemed  inconsistent  with  the  degree 
of  liberty,  which  we  had  hoped  to  find,  and  like  a sys- 
tem of  espionage  borrowed  from  the  customs  of  des- 
potic governments.  Nor  was  it  till  we  thought  of  its 
influence,  and  of  its  true  intent,  (as  we  ought  candidly 
to  regard  it,)  that  we  were  reconciled  to  the  embarrass- 
ments it  sometimes  occasioned  us.  In  solitary  places, 


148 


POROS. 


by  land  and  water,  we  felt  that  we  were  not  unknown, 
isolated  beings,  and  that  our  boatmen  or  muleteers  were 
interested  in  our  safety.  The  system  supplies  in  a 
measure  the  place  of  moral  restraints,  of  which  the 
Greeks  can  have  very  few  in  their  present  ignorance  of 
God’s  holy  word.  I only  hope  it  may  cease  (for  the 
experience  of  our  own  country  shows  that  it  is  not  in- 
dispensable) when  sound  principles  shall  have  been  dif- 
fused among  the  people. 

We  breakfasted,  Sabbath  morning,  in  Poros , with  our 
countryman  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  one  of  the  agents  of  the 
Greek  committees  for  distributing  supplies  among  the 
poor  Greeks.  At  evening  I walked  in  the  burying  ground 
behind  the  city,  and  remarked  the  little  stone  apartments 
built  at  the  heads  of  the  graves,  like  those  near  Paulitsa,s 
where  surviving  relatives  light  candles  on  certain  occa- 
sions when  they  pray  for  their  deceased  friends.  The 
day  was  one  of  greater  confusion  even  than  the  previ- 
ous Sabbath,  as  it  was  nearly  night  before  we  could 
obtain  lodgings.  Such  Sabbaths  often  occurring,  would 
very  much  subtract  from  the  pleasure  of  life. 

The  name  of  Poros  is  applied  to  the  two  ancient  isl- 
ands of  Calauria  and  Sphaeria,  now  united  by  a sandy 
beach.  The  latter  is  evidently  of  volcanic  origin.  Its 
rocky  extremity  on  the  north  is  covered  by  the  town. 
The  houses  are  of  coarse  workmanship,  built  one  above 
another,  with  narrow,  irregular  passages  between  them, 
and  the  place  is  the  filthiest  we  saw  in  Greece.  Its 
fixed  population  is  about  3,600,  but  there  were  many 
strangers  in  the  city  and  in  a suburb  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  harbor.h  The  harbor  of  Poros  has  its  prin- 

(g)  See  p.  116. 

(h)  Population,  according  to  a census  taken  not  long  before  our  ar- 
rival. 

Nati-ve  inhabitants  : Strangers  : 

Married  persons,  1,708  Married  persons,  1,879 

Boys,  1,020  Boys,  936 

Girls,  799  Girls,  930 

Servants,  53  males,  54  females,  112  Servants, 45  males,  35  females,  80 

Total,  3,639  Total,  3,825 

The  churches  are  fifteen,  and  the  priests  sixteen.  All  the  priests  are 
married;  as  is  said  to  be  the  case  .too,  at  Hydra  and  Spetsae. 


TEMPLE  OF  NEPTUNE. 


149 


cipal  entrance  on  the  north,  is  one  of  the  best  in  the 
Mediterranean,  and  must  always  keep  the  town  from 
sinking  into  absolute  insignificance. 

Women  are  the  carriers  of  water  at  Poros,  as  indeed 
they  are  and  always  have  been  in  many  parts  of  the 
East.  It  was  painful  to  see  them  toiling  up  the  rough 
rock  beneath  a burning  sun,  with  a heavy  cask  of  water 
on  their  backs.  They  were  never  designed  for  such  a 
service. 

Calauria,  the  larger  division  of  the  island,  is  almost  en- 
tirely uncultivated,  as  we  ascertained  while  riding  to  the 
site  of  that  anciently  venerated  asylum,  the  temple 
of  Neptune.  The  ruins  of  this  temple  are  about  an 
hour  from  town,  on  elevated  ground  connecting  the  two 
highest  points  of  the  island  and  commanding  a very  in- 
teresting prospect.  While  we  were  there  it  rained,  and 
thick  vapor  confined  our  attention  chiefly  to  the  spot.  It 
was  the  very  spot,  however,  where  the  Prince  of  Orators 
took  refuge  from  his  persecutors,  and  in  deep  despair 
drank  poison  and  died.  There  was  still  the  circular 
seat  on  which,  possibly,  he  was  sitting  just  before  the 
fatal  deed.  There,  too,  Paganism  threw  up  one  of  its 
earliest  entrenchments  in  the  country,  before  Delos  or 
Delphi  awakened  the  reverence  of  men.  And  there,  for  a 
long  series  of  ages,  the  mariner  directed  his  grateful  or 
supplicating  gaze,  when  coming  up  from  Sunium  or  Ma- 
lea,  or  when  about  to  venture  the  waves  of  those  formida- 
ble promontories.1  The  fane  has  disappeared,  the  sacred 
associations  have  perished,  the  mariner  cares  no  more 
for  that  spot  than  he  cares  for  a thousand  others,  and 
no  man  dwells  within  the  consecrated  limits  or  near 
them. 

We  returned  from  the  temple  along  the  other  side  of 
the  glen,  over  hills  composed  of  basaltic  rock,  and  de- 
scended to  the  beautifully  situated  monastery  of  St. 
Mary.  The  hegoumenos  and  his  five  or  six  caloyers 


(i)  The  ancients  used  to  say,  that  “before  a man  doubles  cape  Malea, 
he  should  forget  all  he  holds  dearest  in  the  world.” 

13* 


150 


iEGINA. 


received  us  kindly.  Only  five  dollars  a month  are  allowed 
to  the  principal,  and  three  to  the  others;  the  residue  of  the 
funds  of  the  institution  are  applied  by  the  government 
to  objects  of  public  utility.  The  encroachment  is  im- 
portant, as  it  will  probably  lead  the  way  to  others  of  a 
similar  nature. 

May  13th  we  returned  to  JEgina.  It  was  the  first 
day  of  May  in  the  Grecian  calendar,  and  I was  sur 
prised  to  find  it  celebrated  by  the  children  of  this  dis- 
tant country.  A young  female  crowned  with  festoons 
of  leaves,  I suppose  as  “queen  of  the  May,”  was  attend- 
ed by  a number  of  poor  girls  like  herself  through  the 
streets,  singing  a simple  air  wherever  they  thought  the 
people  were  likely  to  give  them  a few  paras. 

This  island  lies  at  the  mouth  of  the  Saronic  or  iEgean 
gulf,  and  once  was  the  most  important  of  the  islands  in 
this  part  of  the  iEgean  sea,  being  for  a short  time  the 
rival  of  Athens.  During  the  revolution  it  has  been 
noted  chiefly  as  a place  of  refuge  for  many  thousands  of 
Greeks.  Strange  that  it  should  never  have  been  mo- 
lested by  the  enemy,  for  it  is  less  defended  by  nature 
than  almost  any  other  island,  and  has  neither  fortress 
nor  cannon.  Many  of  the  refugees  had  returned  to 
their  homes.  But  the  Psarrians,  who  fled  hither  in 
considerable  numbers,  having  no  home  to  return  to,  still 
remained,  forming  a separate  community  with  its  proper 
officers,  waiting  for  some  place  to  be  assigned  them 
where  they  may  build  a new  Psarra.  The  number  of 
their  ships  in  the  harbor  showed  that  they  still  had  prop- 
erty. As  for  the  exiles  from  Athens,  a worse  than  Per- 
sian invader  had  destroyed  their  houses,  seized  upon 
their  citadel,  and  driven  them  in  penury  to  caves  and 
huts  and  sepulchres  in  the  very  island  that  served  for  an 
asylum  for  Athenian  exiles  in  the  days  of  Themistocles. 
They  look  across  to  their  native  city  and  sigh  to 
revisit  it;  and  as  we  went  around  among  their  hum- 
ble dwellings  with  our  beloved  friend  Mr.  King, 
they  repeated  the  question,  “When  shall  we  return 
to  Athens?”  Several  of  the  females  were  clad  in  gar- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TOWN. 


151 


ments  sent  from  America,  and  welcomed  our  friend* 
who  was  one  of  the  agents  that  distributed  them,  in  the 
most  cordial  manner.  Seeing  a small  quantity  of  cot- 
ton spread  out  to  dry  before  the  entrance  of  a cave,  he 
asked  a woman  of  Athens,  who  I think  was  a widow 
and  had  two  little  children,  whether  it  was  hers.  She 
said  it  was  not,  but  had  been  sent  for  her  to  spin,  and 
that  in  this  manner  she  was  able  to  earn  two  piastres  a 
week,  or  about  two  cents  a day,  and  upon  this  she  con- 
trived to  support  herself  and  her  children.  To  these  two 
classes  of  refugees,  a third,  less  numerous,  may  be 
added  from  Boeotia. 

The  town  of  iEgina  is  built  on  the  site  of  the  ancient 
city.  On  approaching  it  by  water,  the  attention  is  first 
arrested  by  a tall,  solitary  pillar  of  the  temple  of  Venus 
resembling  a lighthouse,  on  the  promontory  north  of  the 
town,  and  by  a large  quadrangular  edifice  on  the  south, 
erected  by  the  President  for  the  accommodation  and 
instruction  of  orphan  children.  The  harbor  is  small, 
and  formed  chiefly  by  ancient  moles  built  out  on  both 
sides.  On  landing  one  is  struck  with  a beautiful  new 
quay  in  front  of  the  town,  which  every  American  is 
happy  to  recognize  as  a monument  of  the  philanthropic 
interest  taken  by  his  countrymen  in  the  sufferings  of 
Greece  during  her  struggle  for  national  existence.  It 
is  the  result  of  Doct.  Howe’s  first  application  of  the 
principles,  upon  which  he  afterwards  commenced  the 
colony  on  the  Isthmus  of  Corinth.  The  town  itself  is 
an  indescribable  mass  of  houses  of  almost  every  sort 
and  shape,  except  that  few  are  good.  On  the  plain 
back  of  the  city,  a vast  number  of  ancient  tombs  have 
been  opened  for  the  stones  of  which  they  are  constructed. 

Compared  with  the  other  islands,  this  contains  a large 
proportion  of  naturally  arable  land,  and  it  is  reputed  to 
be  fertile,  but  has  not  altogether  that  aspect.  Wishing 
to  see  more  of  it,  and  also  an  interesting  relict  of  anti- 
quity, we  rode  out  to  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Panhellenius 
seven  or  eight  miles  distant.  Beyond  the  opened  tombs 
are  plantations  of  almond-trees.  There  are,  also,  groves 


152 


GRECIAN  SOCIETY. 


of  olive  and  fig-trees,  and  we  observed  numerous  fields 
of  the  winter  grains.  In  the  interior  we  passed  the  re- 
mains of  the  capital  of  past  ages,  situated  on  the  decliv- 
ities of  a rocky  cone.  Around  are  terraced  hills,  once 
cultivated,  now  lying  in  utter  neglect.  At  length  we 
arrived  among  the  Doric  columns  of  the  temple,  reared 
five  or  six  centuries  before  the  Christian  era.J  Twen- 
ty-three are  standing,  most  of  them  crowned  with  their 
architraves.  Hills  rise  above  the  one  on  which  is  the 
temple,  and  conceal  the  greater  part  of  the  island.  But 
the  plain  of  Attica  and  the  hills  around  it,  with  Hymet- 
tus,  Pentelicus,  Parnes,  and  Cythaeron,  and  the  hills  of 
Salamis,  a part  of  the  plain  of  Megara,  mount  Gera- 
nium, and  the  Isthmus  of  Corinth,  are  all  in  full 
view;  and,  by  the  help  of  a small  telescope,  the  several 
parts  of  Athens,  even  to  the  columns  on  the  plain  and 
the  Parthenon  in  the  Acropolis,  are  distinctly  seen. 
Debarred  as  we  were  from  Athens  by  its  being  in  pos- 
session of  the  Turks,  there  was  a satisfaction  in  this 
view  which  we  have  no  disposition  to  conceal. 

iEgina  was  the  seat  of  government  at  the  period  of 
our  visit.  On  the  20th  of  May  .intelligence  arrived  of 
the  surrender  of  Mesolongi  into  the  hands  of  the  Greeks. 
The  government  repaired  to  the  church  the  same  day, 
and  by  public  thanksgiving  formally  acknowledged  the 
Providence  of  God  in  this  joyful  event.  At  the  same 
time,  the  Foreign  Secretary,  Mr.  Tricoupis,  who  is  a 
native  of  Mesolongi,  delivered  an  address.  He  has 
repeatedly  been  employed  in  this  manner  on  extraordi- 
nary occasions,  and  much,  I believe,  to  the  satisfaction 
of  his  countrymen.  In  the  evening,  his  house  was 
thronged  with  the  principal  citizens,  foreign  diplomatic 
agents,  and  strangers,  who  came  to  congratulate  him 
upon  the  recovery  of  his  native  town  from  the  enemy. 
About  a dozen  Greek  ladies,  all  in  the  Frank  costume, 
sat  at  the  head  of  the  room,  and  among  them  the  ac- 
complished wife  of  the  secretary,  the  sister  of  Mavro- 


(j)  Leake’s  Travels. 


REQUEST  OF  A MONK. 


153 


cordato.  The  President  was  dressed  in  the  European 
manner,  and  but  few  of  the  company  wore  the  Greek  cos- 
tume. Among  those  few  was  Zaimis  of  Celpene,  a 
man  of  fine  appearance.  At  one  corner  of  the  room 
stood  a blind  bard,  with  a musical  instrument  the  nature 
of  which  I have  forgotten,  whose  glowing  strains,  in  one 
of  his  performances,  attracted  general  notice.  I was 
told  that  this  was  composed  by  the  old  bard  himself,  in 
praise  of  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  nation. 

The  observations  and  incidents  which  have  been  re- 
lated, are  connected  with  the  second  visit  we  made  to 
iEgina  in.  May.  It  has  already  been  stated,  that  on 
completing  our  tour  in  the  Peloponnesus  at  Monemba- 
sia  on  the  4th  of  July,  we  proceeded  again  to  that  isl- 
and. On  our  arrival  we  found  the  house  which  Mr. 
King  had  left  for  us  occupied  by  a number  of  Greek 
Catholic  youths  from  Tenos,  going  to  France  under  the 
care  of  a French  ecclesiastic,  to  be  educated  for  the 
priesthood  at  the  expense  of  the  F rench  king  Charles  X. 
The  governor  of  the  town,  a kind  Psarriote,  soon  re- 
stored to  us  the  convenient  lodgings,  which  we  greatly 
needed  after  our  long  journey,  and  after  our  tedious  voy- 
age from  Monembasia.  NieSoplos  soon  called  upon  us, — • 
a monk  already  named,  of  liberal  views,  devoted  to  ed- 
ucation, and  head-master  of  the  orphan  school.  We 
became  acquainted  with  him  during  our  former  visit, 
and  he  had  given  us  letters  to  bis  friends  in  Arcadia. 
Mr.  Smith  had  been  at  that  time  introduced  to  him  as 
one  of  the  superintendents  of  our  printing  establishment 
at  Malta,  and  Ni^toplos  now  came  to  request  that  we 
would  reprint  his  “Epitome  of  the  Gospels,”  the  first 
edition  printed  at  Nauplion  being  nearly  exhausted. 
We  had  seen  this  book  in  the  schools,  and  thought  well 
of  it  in  the  general;  so  he  was  told  that  an  edition 
should  be  printed  for  him,  provided  he  would  make  it 
exactly  conformable  to  the  gospels.  To  this  he  cheer- 
fully assented,  and  in  a subsequent  comparison  made  by 
him  and  Mr.  Smith  in  company,  we  saw  much  reason 
to  admire  his  sincerity  and  candor.  Before  we  came 


154 


SYRA. 


away,  he  addressed  a letter  to  Messrs.  Temple  and 
Smith  the  superintendents  of  our  press,  which  he  insist- 
ed upon  having  printed  as  an  introduction  to  the  book, 
and  which  is  now  probably  going  through  the  schools  of 
Greece,  and  conciliating  favor  for  our  publications  in  the 
modern  Greek  language.  In  all  this  we  notice  and 
adore  the  good  hand  of  our  God.k 

Our  final  departure  from  iEgina  was  on  Wednesday, 
July  15th,  when  we  embarked  in  a little  Psarriote 
schooner  for  the  Northern  Cyclades,  where  our  ob- 
servations on  the  Greek  islands  were  brought  to  a close. 
We  visited  only  Delos,  Myconos,  Tenos,  Andros,  and 
Syra;  but  the  external  features  of  many  other  islands 
were  quite  apparent  in  our  several  voyages.  Our  ves- 
sel was  bound  to  Syra.  The  evening  was  beautiful,  the 
latter  part  of  the  night  boisterous,  and,  as  we  slept  upon 
the  deck,  our  capotes  could  not  defend  us  entirely  from 
the  spray.  In  the  morning  we  were  between  Tsea  and 
Thermia,  which,  like  most  of  the  Aegean  isles  at  that 
season,  expose  scarcely  anything  to  the  view  of  the 
passing  mariner  except  rude  rocks,  brown  cliffs,  and 
naked  hills  and  mountains  heated  and  parched  by  the 
fierce  rays  of  the  sun.  ^S^sing  round  Syra  on  the 
north,  Andros  and  Tenos  were  on  our  left,  and  Myco- 
nos and  Delos  in  front. 

Syra  is  mountainous,  and  destitute  of  wood.  The 
port  is  on  its  eastern  side,  and  more  vessels  lay  there 
than  we  had  seen  in  all  other  parts  of  Greece.  Around 
the  northern  shore  of  the  harbor,  25,000  refugees  from 
Scio,  Psarra,  Haivali,  and  other  places,  have  built  a 
new  town  which  they  call  Hermoupolis.  The  old  in- 
habitants, 5,000  in  number,  are  all  Greek  Catholics, 
and  inhabit  a conical  hill  back  of  the  new  city.  The 
view  from  the  harbor  is  interesting.  The  Roman 
Catholic  town  reminded  me  of  Poros,  being  built  against 
a steep,  rugged  rock,  with  narrow,  intricate  passages 
between  them.  More  pains  are  taken  to  facilitate  the 


(k)  I shall  speak  of  the  Orphan  School  in  a subsequent  chapter. 


HERMOUPOLIS. 


155 


ascent  by  means  of  steps  cut  in  the  rock,  and  the  swine, 
who  throng  the  avenues,  keep  them  cleaner,  but  are 
themselves  a nuisance.  This  is  the  place  where  our 
departed  missionary,  Mr.  Parsons,  was  sick  and  nigh 
unto  death  in  the  year  1821.  The  thoughts  of  his 
sufferings  from  disease  and  loneliness  and  the  want  of 
kindly  sympathy,  had  awakened  sadness  in  my  mind  long 
before  I thought  of  visiting  the  scene  of  his  afflictions. 
The  inhabitants  of  this  town  regard  the  refugees  at  the 
harbor  as  intruders,  come  in  and  remaining  without 
their  consent.  The  difference  of  religion  increases  the 
animosity,  which  formerly  rose  even  to  occasional  acts 
of  violence.  Indeed  the  Greek  Catholics  are  said  to 
have  very  little  fellow-feeling  with  their  brethren  of  the 
Greek  church.  Those  of  Syra  never  entered  heartily 
into  the  revolutionary  measures.  They  generally  wear 
the  Frank  dress,  and  have  been  excited  by  the  zeal  of 
their  neighbors  to  resolve  on  establishing  a Lancasterian 
school. 

Hermoupolis  has  a singular  mixture  of  manners,  and 
the  different  classes  are  accused  of  great  clannishness. 
This  is  natural  enough,  and  it  will  probably  continue  till 
the  Sciote,  Psarrian,  Haivalote,  Smyrniote  and  Con- 
stinopolitan,  have  learned  to  consider  Syra  as  their 
home.  They  came  there  for  a refuge,  and  remained 
for  commerce,  as  the  island  was  in  some  degree  under 
European  protection;  but  as  soon  as  that  protection 
should  no  longer  he  needed,  they  expected  to  remove. 
Perhaps  the  fact  that  the  port  has  lately  been  declared 
free  by  the  Greek  government,  may  induce  the  greater 
part  of  its  present  inhabitants  to  remain.  In  the  east- 
ern end  of  the  town  are  indications  of  wealth  and  taste, 
and  one  meets  with  women  and  girls  in  the  streets 
whose  dress  and  manners  approximate  to  those  of  west- 
ern Europe.  A splendid  church  had  lately  bee'n  erect- 
ed on  a conspicuous  situation,  and  another  of  liberal 
dimensions  is  no  doubt  completed  by  this  time.  There 
is  a hospital,  but  I do  not  know  its  orgin,  nor  how  it  is 
supported. 


156 


TENOS. 


On  Monday  morning,  July  20th,  bidding  adieu  to  our 
esteemed  friend  Dr.  Korck,  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  who  has  exerted  a very  happy  influence  in  Syra 
and  the  neighboring  islands,  we  crossed  the  channel  to 
Terios — a long  mountainous  ridge  between  Myconos 
and  Andros,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  narrow  chan- 
nels. It  is  considerably  cultivated  by  means  of  terra- 
ces. Silk  is  the  principal  commodity,  and  many  people 
find  employment  in  knitting  hose  and  gloves  of  this  ma- 
terial. The  villages  are  66,  and  the  inhabitants  25,000, 
one  third  Catholics.  There  are  50  Greek  priests, 
many  of  whom  are  unmarried.  The  Greeks  have  two 
monasteries,  containing  115  monks,  and  two  nunneries 
with  upwards  of  100  nuns.  The  Papists  formerly  had 
the  precedence  in  Tenos  in  all  processions  and  ecclesi- 
astical functions,  Greek  priests  uncovered  their  heads 
when  they  entered  the  Latin  churches,  and  in  all  Greek 
churches  there  was  an  altar  for  the  Latin  priests,  where 
they  had  full  liberty  to  preach  on  any  controversial  sub- 
ject.1 This  proud  superiority  probably  had  a Venetian 
origin.  The  conversion  of  the  people  of  Syra  to  the 
Romish  faith  is  referred,  however,  to  the  French  Capu- 
chins, and  the  French  king  has  long  taken  an  interest 
in  the  success  of  papal  missions  in  the  Greek  islands. 
The  Papists  of  Tenos,  in  the  true  spirit  of  the  “Holy 
Mother,”  talked  of  collecting  as  many  copies  as  they 
could  of  the  New  Testament  that  had  been  distributed 
in  the  island,  and  committing  them  to  the  flames,  and 
their  bishop  has  since  formally  prohibited  his  adherents 
from  receiving  them. 

The  town  of  St.  Nicholas  on  the  western  side,  is  the 
capital  of  the  island.  The  houses  are  generally  good, 
and  have  a respectable  and  comfortable  appearance. 
Here  resided  most  of  the  consuls  before  the  war,  and 
thus  St.  Nicholas  became  in  fact  a sort  of  capital  for  all 
the  islands.  Several  of  the  consuls  still  remain.  Perhaps 
the  European  dress  and  manners  are  more  prevalent  here, 


(1)  Tournefort. 


CHURCH  OF  THE  EVANGELISTA. 


157 


than  anywhere  else  in  Greece;  and,  owing  to  the  strong 
winds  which  come  down  the  Aegean  in  summer  and 
sweep  across  this  island,  it  is  a healthful  residence. 
The  rent  of  a good  house  is  from  50  to  75  dollars  a 
year. 

Here  we  again  met  with  our  friend  Mr.  King,  and, 
before  our  departure,  I had  the  happiness  of  giving  him 
a home  in  the  Levant,  by  uniting  him  in  marriage  to  a 
lady  of  congenial  mind — of  Grecian  descent,  but  a na- 
tive of  Smyrna,  where  her  family  still  resides  under 
the  protection  of  France.  It  was  gratifying  to  observe, 
that  there  was  nothing  in  this  marriage  which  seemed 
to  alarm  the  prejudices  of  the  people,  although  Tenos  is 
one  of  the  most  bigoted  islands  in  the  Archipelago.  In 
the  course  of  two  or  three  days,  nearly  all  the  people  of 
standing  in  the  place,  both  male  and  female,  called  to 
express  their  good  wishes.  A Greek  priest,  too,  a 
worthy  man,  but  himself  unmarried,  sent  a pair  of  doves 
the  next  day,  and  soon  followed  them  with  his  blessing, 
in  which  he  appeared  to  be  cordial. 

Mr.  King  introduced  us  to  Kallerges,  governor  of  the 
Northern  Cyclades,  who  strongly  commended  the  aid 
Greece  had  received  from  our  country,  as  having  been 
given  from  disinterested  motives.  He  afterwards  sent 
us  a letter  to  be  used  in  his  province. 

The  church  of  the  Evangelista  in  this  island  is  the 
most  remarkable  of  the  present  objects  of  superstition  in 
Greece.  It  is  a sumptuous  and  conspicuous  pile,  situ- 
ated back  of  St.  Nicholas,  with  a tower  that  reminds 
one  of  a pagoda.  Like  the  temple  of  Apollo  in  Arca- 
dia, it  faces  nearly  north  and  south,  probably  for  the 
sake  of  a more  imposing  appearance,  though  they  say 
the  variation  from  the  established  custom  was  directed 
by  a picture  found  in  the  earth.  It  is  surrounded  by  a 
court,  which  is  enclosed  by  a series  of  apartments 
erected  for  the  accommodation  of  pilgrims,  and  for  a 
school,  etc.  Entering  the  gate,  you  ascend  into  the 
court  by  a broad  flight  of  steps  made  of  the  white  and 
clouded  marble  of  the  island.  A narrower  flight  con- 


158 


CHURCH  OF  THE  EVANGELISTA* 


ducts  to  the  portico  around  the  body  of  the  church. 
This  has  a marble  floor,  in  one  part  of  which  are  four 
or  five  slabs  covering  the  tombs  of  men  now  living,  who 
were  the  agents  in  erecting  the  church,  and  possess  the 
chief  control  of  it.  That  of  the  owner  of  the  land  and 
principal  agent,  has  an  inscription  upon  it  conceived  in 
such  terms,  that  he  cannot  be  supposed  unwilling  to  al- 
low it  any  publicity  which  these  pages  can  give  it. 
Omitting  the  Greek,  the  translation  runs  thus: — 

“This  is  the  tomb  of  Stamatelos  Kangkade,  who,  as 
agent,  raised  from  the  foundation  the  church,  together 
with  the  school.  He  is  worthy  of  everlasting  remem- 
brance.” 

The  interior  of  the  church  is  highly  decorated  after 
the  Greek  taste,  with  pictures  of  saints  and  angels;  and, 
as  if  to  carry  the  transgression  of  the  command,  to 
“make  no  likeness  of  anything  in  heaven  above,”  to  the 
utmost  possible  limit,  God  the  Father  is  represented 
in  the  form  of  an  aged  man  with  a golden  triangle  about 
his  head:  and  this  representation,  which  shocks  every 
principle  of  good  taste,  judgment,  and  religion,  is  not  (as 
I regret  to  say)  at  all  peculiar  to  this  church.  In  the 
basement  story  are  several  apartments,  one  of  which, 
marking  the  spot  where  the  image  above  referred  to  is 
said  to  have  been  found,  is  regarded  as  peculiarly  sa- 
cred. Here  is  a fountain,  which  they  tell  us  sprang  up 
while  they  were  digging  for  the  foundations.  The  room 
was  cold  and  damp,  and  the  marble  floor  was  wret,  yet 
two  poor  sick  women  were  lying  upon  it  beneath  a pic- 
ture of  the  Virgin  and  a burning  candle,  hoping  to  be 
cured  by  a miraculous  agency;  and  verily  there  is 
scarcely  anything  short  of  that,  which  could  effect  a cure 
in  those  circumstances.  It  is  alleged  that  many  mira- 
cles have  been  wrought  here,  and  the  place  is  in  such 
repute,  that  pilgrimages  are  made  to  it  from  all  parts  of 
Greece,  and  even  from  the  Asiatic  continent,  by  the 
lame,  blind,  and  others  who  desire  extraordinary  bene- 
fits through  the  mediation  of  the  Virgin.  The  vessel 
that  brought  us  from  JEgina,  and  again  the  caique  in 


CHURCH  OF  THE  EVANGELISTA. 


159 


which  we  crossed  the  channel  to  Tenos,  had  on  board 
a highly  respectable  Greek  of  our  acquaintance,  going 
on  this  pilgrimage  with  his  wife  and  children.  A man 
who  sat  next  to  me  in  the  boat,  as  soon  as  he  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  church,  crossed  himself  with  signs  of 
great  reverence,  and  continued  to  look  wistfully  at  it. 
I suppose  he  was  a pilgrim.  “Christianity,”  says  an 
old  and  celebrated  traveller,'11  “has  not  altered  the  fab- 
ulous disposition  of  the  Greeks.”  From  this  church, 
the  island  of  Delos  may  be  seen,  to  which  the  ancient 
Greek  went  on  pilgrimage  to  the  shrines  of  Apollo 
and  Diana. 

The  reader  will  be  curious  to  know  the  origin  of  this 
edifice,  and  how  it  acquired  its  reputation.  In  the  year 
1822,  an  old  nun,  living  in  a nunnery  upon  the  moun 
tain  above  the  town,  is  said  to  have  been  admonished 
in  two  or  three  successive  dreams,  that  a church  should 
be  erected  on  this  spot.  The  relation  of  these  dreams, 
with  her  exhortations,  the  contemporaneous  sickness  of 
the  wife  of  him  who  owned  the  land,  and  the  breaking 
out  of  he  plague,  kindled  such  an  enthusiasm  among 
the  people,  that  they  resolved  upon  building  a magnifi- 
cent church.  The  workmen  in  digging  found  some- 
thing which  they  fancied  to  be  the  remains  of  an  an- 
cient church,  and  something  else  in  two  pieces  which 
they  decided  to  be  a picture  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 
About  29,000  dollars  have  been  expended  upon  the 
building.  The  amount  of  income  is  not  known,  but 
it  must  be  considerable,  and  is  doubtless  increasing. 
It  is  a singular  fact  in  the  history  of  superstition,  that 
600  piastres  monthly,  or  480  dollars  a year,  are  appro- 
priated by  the  trustees  from  the  revenues  to  the  educa- 
tion of  youth.  In  this  manner  a classical  school  is  sup- 
ported in  the  cloisters  of  the  church,  and  a Lancasterian 
school  in  the  town.  A commodious  house  has  been 
erected  by  the  same  means  for  the  latter.  These 


(m)  Tournefort, 


160 


ANDROS. 


schools  together  contained  over  200  youth,  of  whom 
about  30  were  girls. 

The  old  nun  I happened  one  day  to  see.  She  can- 
not be'  less  than  80  years  of  age,  and  is  so  simple  and 
childish  that  one  can  hardly  believe  her  capable  of  de- 
ceit. The  people  so  regard  her.  Her  dreams  may  be 
admitted,  being  neither  very  improbable  nor  remarkable. 
The  spot  she  selected  for  a church  is  the  most  eligible 
anywhere  about,  and  I heard  it  said  that  her  father 
was  desirous,  many  years  ago,  that  one  should  be  erect- 
ed in  that  very  place. 

While  I was  detained  in  the  hospitable  family  of  Mr. 
King  by  a temporary  illness,  the  only  one  I had  in  the 
Levant,  Mr.  Smith  went  to  the  island  of  Andros . This 
also  is  mountainous,  but  its  mountains  are  less  regular 
than  those  of  Tenos,  and  seem  broken  by  arable  valleys. 
Its  circumference  is  about  62  leagues,  its  cultivation  less 
than  that  of  Tenos,  its  number  of  villages  the  same,  its 
population  14,000.  The  principal  town  is  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  island,  on  a point  of  land,  with  small  harbors 
on  each  side,  both  open  to  the  northeast  wind.  The 
ruins  of  an  old  fortress,  probably  Venetian,  stand  at  the 
extremity  of  the  point,  and  are  separated  from  the  main 
land  by  a wide  trench  cut  through  the  rock,  through 
which  the  sea  flows,  and  over  which  is  the  ruined  arch 
of  a bridge.  On  the  side  of  the  town  towards  the  inte- 
rior, the  outer  range  of  houses  is  united  and  forms  a 
kind  of  wall.  The  houses  are  coarse,  many  in  bad  re- 
pair, and  the  town  in  general  is  irregular  and  dirty. 
The  inhabitants  are  500,  and  the  rent  of  a house  is 
from  15  to  20  piastres  monthly.  The  people  are 
rude  in  dress  and  manners,  having  seen  little  of  the  world, 
but  possess  much  apparent  simplicity  of  character  and  a 
good  disposition.  As  if  the  fabled  Bacchus  still  reigned 
there,  the  people  are  famed  among  their  neighbors  as 
drinkers  of  wine.  In  general  the  200  churches  of  the 
island  have  each  their  priest,  whose  property  they  are, 
and  to  whose  family  they  descend  by  inheritance. 
There  are  three  monasteries  containing  nearly  400 


MVCONOS. 


161 


monks,  and  two  small  nunneries.  The  principal  town 
supports  two  schools  for  classical  and  elementary  studies. 
The  island  has  two  other  ports,  one  farther  south,  the 
other  on  the  west  side,  where  stood  the  ancient  capital. 
No  Papists  now  dwell  on  the  island,  though  there  is  a 
church  that  once  belonged  to  them;  and  the  same  is 
true  of  the  island  next  claiming  attention. 

Myconos , to  which  we  proceeded  on  leaving  Tenos, 
is  a rough  and  barren  island,  with  nearly  all  its  inhabit- 
ants collected  in  a single  town  facing  the  salubrious 
gales  from  the  northern  iEgean.  The  principal  demoge- 
ron  invited  us  to  dine  with  him,  yet  seemed  rather 
willing  we  should  be  whelmed  in  the  waves,  than  re- 
main long  where  we  should  have  claims  upon  his  hospi- 
tality. His  wife,  a sprightly  woman  much  younger  than 
himself,  with  a liberty  uncommon  in  Greece,  urged  us 
to  stay;  but  this  made  him  the  more  strenuously  main- 
tain that  the  gale  was  less  violent  in  the  middle  of  the 
channel,  than  it  was  under  the  shore.  The  females  of 
Myconos  are  said  to  exert  an  unusual  influence  in  do- 
mestic life,  and  this  perhaps  accounts  for  the  proportion 
of  girls  in  the  Lancasterian  school  of  the  island,  which 
is  greater  than  we  observed  in  any  other.  A few  old 
women  still  retain  the  indescribable  costume  of  former 
ages.  One  of  these  served  at  the  table,  mounted  on 
short,  high-heeled  slippers,  with  stockings  of  coarse 
wool  exposed  to  the  knee,  and  her  head  surmounted  by 
a thick,  conical  cap.  The  houses  of  Myconos  are  of  mod- 
erate size,  similar  to  each  other  in  their  structure,  and,  like 
most  in  the  Cyclades,  are  terraced  and  whitewashed.  The 
population  is  4,500 — generally  sailors,  expert  in  their 
profession,  but  untutored  in  manners,  and  noted  during 
the  war  for  their  piracies.  There  are  40  churches,  a 
priest  to  each,  and  a bishop  having  charge  of  the  whole. 
The  consul  led  us  to  a collection  of  sepulchral  monu- 
ments brought  from  Rheneia,  where  the  inhabitants  of 
Delos  used  to  bury  their  dead.  They  are  of  white 
marble,  and  some  have  beautiful  carvings  in  relief,  rep- 
resenting the  deceased  bidding  adieu  to  his  family. 

14* 


162 


DELOS. 


The  name  of  the  person  commemorated  is  seen  beneath, 
with  only  the  addition  of  — “Farewell.” 

At  night,  on  our  way  to  Naxos,  we  cast  anchor  in 
Fourni,  the  ancient  port  of  Delos.  This  little  isl- 
and, only  seven  or  eight  miles  in  circuit,  gave  name  to 
the  Cyclades  because  they  surround  it.  It  was  one 
of  the  most  sacred  and  celebrated  spots,  not  only 
in  Greece,  but  in  the  pagan  world.  The  extensive 
ruins  of  the  city — the  scattered  marble  stones  and  bro- 
ken pillars  of  Apollo’s  temple  white  as  the  snow — the 
marble  walls  supporting  the  wings  of  the  theatre — the 
reservoirs — the  traces  of  a broad  road  leading  up  the 
sides  of  Cynthus — the  marble  foundations  upon  its  lev- 
elled top; — all  proclaim  its  ancient  magnificence.  But 
now,  there  is  an  impressive  solitude  all  around — 
no  tree  to  shade  the  traveller,  no  verdure  to  delight, 
his  eye,  no  stated  inhabitant  to  bid  him  welcome  and 
supply  his  wants.  The  island  affords  only  a scanty 
pasturage  for  a few  goats.  Cynthus,  which  a pagan 
writer  magnifies  into  a mountain,  is  a mere  hill.  The 
Inopus  is  dry,  not  even  its  bed  appearing.  We  sought 
in  vain  for  water  enough  to  quench  our  thirst;  though 
told  by  shepherds  that  there  is  a fountain  on  the  island, 
whose  waters  come  under  the  sea  from  Cairo  in  Egypt. 
This  is  an  old  tradition,  the  ancients  pretending  a con- 
nection between  this  fountain  and  the  Nile:  indeed  the 
story  seems  worthy  of  being  told  on  an  island  that  was 
believed  to  have  floated  upon  the  sea  till  it  became  fix- 
ed at  the  birth  of  Apollo  and  Diana.  The  adjacent 
and  larger  island  of  Rheneia  is  uninhabited*  except  by 
a few  monks  in  a convent  on  one  of  its  extremities. 
Around  the  shores  is  a sponge  fishery.  The  sponges 
are  sometimes  brought  up  from  the  depth  of  twenty 
fathoms. 

So  violent  was  the  gale  as  to  detain  us  all  day  at 
Delos;  and  at  night,  thinking  it  inexpedient  to  go  far- 
ther to  the  leeward,  we  gave  orders  to  sail  for  Syra. 

Here,  on  recollecting  the  more  sacred  places  of  an- 
cient pagan  Greece  which  had  come  within  our  obser- 


SACRED  PLACES  OF  ANCIENT  GREECE.  163 

vation,  I was  struck  with  the  desolation  and  neglect 
that  have  befallen  them.  I speak  of  such  only  as  we 
saw.  Thus,  the  places  where  the  Isthmian  games  were 
celebrated  in  honor  of  Neptune,  and  the  Nemean  in 
honor  of  Hercules,  and  the  Olympic  in  honor  of  Jupi- 
ter,— are  all  uninhabited,  nor  do  the  Greeks  mani- 
fest any  regard  for  them.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
the  promontory  of  Hermione,  once  resplendent  with 
temples;  and  of  the  Grove  of  Aesculapius,  to  which  the 
sick  Grecian  used  to  resort  for  a miraculous  cure;  and 
of  the  ancient  and  venerated  sanctuary  of  Neptune  on 
the  island  of  Calauria.  No  man  seems  desirous  to  make 
his  home  in  those  places,  and  for  ages  they  have  been 
plundered  without  reluctance,  by  Greek  as  well  as 
Turk,  until  little  remains  to  gratify  the  traveller’s  curi- 
osity. The  reader  will  also  remember,  that  we  found 
the  Arcadian  temple  of  Apollo,  and  that  of  Jupiter  Pan- 
hellenius  in  AEgina,  both  surrounded  by  a wide  and 
profound  solitude:  from  the  former,  indeed,  we  had 
to  hasten  away,  in  order  to  prevent  our  thoughtless 
attendants  from  overturning  a pilaster  within  the  once 
sacred  enclosure.  The  situation  of  Delos  has  just 
been  the  subject  of  remark. 

Now  there  was  a time,  when  these  places  were  hal- 
lowed and  defended  by  a system  of  idolatry,  which  was 
invested  with  all  the  charm  and  power,  that  learning, 
genius,  and  taste,  history,  poetry,  architecture,  painting, 
and  statuary,  were  able  to  confer  upon  it.  We  have 
only  to  read  any  well-written  history  of  ancient  Greece 
to  be  convinced,  that  the  systems  of  popular  superstition 
we  now  have  to  contend  with,  (except  that  of  the 
Romish  church,)  are  poor,  contemptible  things,  com- 
pared with  the  magnificent  fabric  of  ancient  Grecian 
paganism. 

But  there  came  forth  a religion  from  a distant,  ob- 
scure province  of  the  Roman  empire,  a religion  despis- 
ed by  philosophers,  persecuted  by  rulers,  everywhere 
spoken  against;  and  soon  the  charm  was  broken:  these 
sacred  places  ceased  to  be  venerated;  were  desecrated, 


164 


SCIO. 


plundered,  desolated,  forsaken,  and  the  whole  splendid 
fabric  passed  away,  leaving  scarcely  a wreck  behind! 
Nor  can  the  triumph  of  this  same  religion  over  all  the 
paganism  now  in  the  world  seem  so  improbable,  even  to 
the  infidel,  as  the  change  I have  described  would  have 
appeared  to  a philosopher  in  the  days  of  Pericles,  had 
it  been  predicted  in  his  hearing. 

Doct.  Korck  did  all  in  his  power  to  make  our  stay  in 
Syra  agreeable  and  profitable,  and  when  we  were 
ready  to  proceed  to  Smyrna,  he  secured  a passage  for 
us  in  a large  Ragusan  brig.  Going  out  between  Tenos 
and  Myconos,  the  promontory  of  Euboea  appeared 
northwestward.  At  night  we  were  near  the  southern 
point  of  the  unhappy  Scio,  with  the  large  island  of  Sa- 
mos on  our  right.  The  coast  of  Asia  stretched  along 
in  front.  It  was  the  land  of  Ionia,  renowned  in  classic 
story,  nor  less  renowned  in  the  history  of  the  church  of 
Christ.  I looked  towards  the  site  of  Ephesus,  but  it 
was  too  distant  to  be  seen.  Had  it  been  nearer,  I 
should  have  beheld  only  a desolate  coast.  Long  has 
the  candlestick  been  removed,  and  not  a single  star 
cheers  the  universal  gloom.  The  wind  was  contrary 
in  the  channel  of  Scio,  so  that  next  morning  we  had 
advanced  no  farther  than  the  town;  but  who  could  re- 
gret having  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  gazing  upon 
that  ill-fated  place?  A more  beautiful  prospect  from 
the  water,  we  had  nowhere  seen.  A verdant  strip  ex- 
tends eight  or  ten  miles  along  the  shore,  and  swells  to- 
ward barren  hills  in  the  back  ground  with  trees  all 
over  it,  in  which  the  town,  and  several  villages,  and 
numerous  country-seats  of  the  rich,  seem  to  be  embo- 
somed. A peaceful  and  lovely  scene,  as  beheld  from  a 
distance;  but  a near  view  would  have  spoiled  the  illu- 
sion. The  houses,  as  we  had  opportunity  to  observe 
on  our  return,  are  in  general  mere  empty  walls.  The 
greater  part  of  the  island  appears  to  be  composed  of 
cheerless  mountains;  but  among  them  are  fertile  val- 
leys, where  were  nearly  60  villages  before  the  war. 
The  channel  is  perhaps  twelve  miles  wide.  Opposite 


VOYAGE  TO  SMYRNA  AND  MALTA. 


165 


the  town  of  Scio  lies  Tchesme,  where  the  Russians 
surprised  and  burnt  the  Turkish  fleet  in  1770.  Around 
this  is  the  country  most  abundant  in  the  production  of 
raisins.  When  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna, 
the  now  desolated  isle  of  Psarra  could  be  seen  westward. 
Mytilene,  the  ancient  Lesbos,  renowned  two  thousand 
years  ago  for  its  bards  and  sages,  lay  in  full  view  on 
the  north.  The  next  day,  August  4th,  a month  after 
our  final  departure  from  the  Peloponnesus,  we  were 
carried  up  40  miles  to  the  head  of  the  gulf,  by  the  inbat 
— a daily  wind  which  fans  the  city  of  Smyrna,  tempers  its 
heat,  chases  away  the  noxious  exhalations  .from  its  low 
grounds,  and  renders  a summer  residence  in  it  generally 
tolerable. 

In  this  city,  where  was  one  of  the  Seven  Churches,  we 
remained  till  the  14th,  when  we  embarked  in  a Tuscan 
schooner  for  Malta,  arrived  in  the  port  of  Valetta  Sep- 
tember 4th,  and  were  there  subjected  to  a quarantine  of 
twenty  days. 

fn*** 

fat#  f 

/z  /£  ^ 

\J0-  n — /*•- 


CHAPTER  VII. 


IONIAN  ISLANDS. 


Voyage  from  Malta  to  the  island  of  Corfu — Introduction  to  the  Ionian  Islands— 
Magnificent  scenery  of  Epirus — Position  and  history  of  the  Ionian  Isl- 
ands— Population  of  the  islands — City  of  Corfu — Ancient  temple — Excursion 
into  the  interior,  with  remarks  upon  the  island— “Ship  Ulysses”-— Mount  Ce- 
raunia — Roads— Cultivation  of  the  olive,  and  the  moral  consequences  of  this — 
Complexity  in  the  rights  of  property—  Professor  Bambas  -Preaching of Typaldos 
-—Christian  idolatry— Priesthood— Churches— Support  of  the  clergy-  Religious 
character  of  the  people-  -Influence  of  Venetian  policy — Toleration  granted 
by  the  present  Constitution- Connection  between  church  and  state— -Bishops 
— Papal  Greeks- -Jews— Printing  establishment— Versions  of  the  Scriptures — 
Restrictions  on  the  press — Masquerades— Obtain  an  interpreter  for  the  tour. 

That  part  of  Greece,  which  has  lately  been  freed  from 
the  Turkish  yoke,  having  been  the  primary  object  of 
*a&efitidn*  with 'Mr.  S hrit*h  -and-  my  s^l  f,  I placed  our  ob- 
servations* 4dpon*lbef^^^ 

iEgean  first  in  this  volume,  though  they  were  made 
subseqff&My*  to  cXutMdwk  m*the  lowraA  kAtil^ 
proper,  however,  that  .some  notice  should  betaken  of 
the ^MnAs^novT corisfeting^the  I ©man*  R e pfro ltc  ,*£n  c e 
jhg^ire  inhabited  by  Gk^ks.,  and  are  Grecian  ,in  res- 
pect e iwh i stor ua g e , ra^Wf^^nd  customs. 

It  has -.already  b^en  stated,  that  when  Mt,  Smith  and 
myself  Te  ft' the  *islancl*of  lra-tni-  ^he  ebpuary, 

we  sailed  for  the  most  northern  of  t<hese  islands.  We 
were  accVinpaiTiecTon  th^w^i^^  afid%hilawe  remain- 
ed in  those  islands,  by  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Robertson  of  the 
American  Episcopal  Missionary  Society,  who  had  ar- 
rived at  Malta  on  his  way  to  Greece  just  before  our 
embarkation.  On  the  morning  of  March  3d,  passing 
between  cape  Bianco,  the  southern  extremity  of  Corfu, 
and  the  little  island  of  Paxo,  we  were  in  the  waters  of 
Greece.  The  western  cliffs  of  Corfu  have  a forbidding 
aspect,  but  the  eastern  side  slopes  gently  to  the  water’s 


POSITION  OP  THE  IONIAN  ISLANDS. 


167 


edge.  Being  covered  with  the  ever-green  olives,  and 
those  interspersed  with  houses  and  vineyards,  it  would 
have  contrasted  finely  with  the  rugged,  wintry  moun- 
tains of  Epirus,  had  not  a mist  concealed  their  more 
elevated  ridges.  No  sooner  had  we  cast  anchor  in  the 
port  of  Corfu,  than  there  came  on  a furious  gale,  with 
torrents  of  rain,  and  our  situation  would  have  been  un- 
comfortable, and  perhaps  perilous,  had  we  been  out  in 
“the  stormy  Adria.”  We  were  not  fairly  introduced  into 
the  territories  of  the  Septinsular  Republic,  till  we  had 
been  examined  at  the  health  office,  delivered  our  open 
letters  of  introduction  at  the  post  office,  given  guarantee 
for  our  good  behavior  at  the  regent’s  office,  left  our 
passports  at  the  police  office,  and  paid  duties  at  the 
custom-house  upon  such  articles  of  our  apparel  as  we 
happened  not  to  have  worn.  Our  Papal  captain  took 
his  oath  upon  the  picture  of  St.  Spiridion,  the  Grecian 
patron  of  the  island.  The  Bible,  or  at  least  the  New 
Testament,  is  presented  to  the  Protestant  on  such  occa- 
sions. The  officers  of  government  were  very  civil,  and 
the  reasons  assigned  for  such  of  the  regulations  affecting 
ourselves  as  were  peculiar,  left  us  neither  cause  nor 
disposition  to  complain. 

Next  morning  the  magnificent  scenery  of  the  oppo- 
site continent  was  completely  unveiled.  Commencing 
in  the  modest  Cassiopea  at  the  south,  the  mountains  rise 
by  successive  ridges  until  the  last,  with  its  bleak  sum- 
mits then  covered  deep  in  snow,  stretches  on  to  form  the 
majestic  Ceraunia  at  the  north.  It  gave  me  nobler  con- 
ceptions of  Lebanon. in  Syria  than  I had  before,  to  find 
that  this  view  of  Epirus  reminded  Mr.  Smith  of  that 
celebrated  mountain,  as  it  appears  at  this  season  when 
beheld  at  sea  not  far  from  Beyroot.  Indeed  the  Pin- 
dus  with  its  branches  may  not  improperly  be  called  the 
Lebanon  of  Greece,  on  account  of  the  hardy  character, 
the  lawless  freedom,  and  the  various  tribes,  of  its  inhab- 
itants. 

The  Ionian  Islands  are  seven  in  number,  and  their 
names,  in  the  order  of  their  relative  importance,  are 


168 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IONIAN  ISLANDS. 


Corfu , Cefalonia , Zante , Santa  Maura , Ithaca , Cen- 
go,  and  Paxo.  Corfu  is  opposite  and  near  the  coast  of 
Epirus.  Under  different  names  it  is  celebrated  in  an- 
cient poetry  as  the  kingdom  of  Alcinous,  where  Ulysses 
was  shipwrecked.  Under  the  name  of  Corcyra  it  holds 
a prominent  place  in  history,  as  the  haughty  and  rebel- 
lious colony  of  Corinth  and  the  guilty  occasion  of  the 
Peloponnesian  war.  Paxo  is  but  a few  miles  south  of 
Corfu.  Santa  Maura,  the  ancient  Leucadia,  is  scarcely 
separated  from  the  coast  of  Acarnania  by  the  narrow 
channel  first  cut  by  the  Corinthians.  Ithaca  the  little 
kingdom  of  Ulysses,  and  Cefalonia  the  extensive  appen- 
dage to  his  throne,  lie  at  some  distance  westward  of  the 
gulf  of  Corinth.  Zante,  the  ancient  Zacynthus,  is  not 
far  from  the  coast  of  Elis.a  Cerigo,  anciently  called 
Cythera,  is  separated  but  a little  distance  from  cape 
Malea,  the  southern  promontory  of  Laconia.  Cefalo- 
nia is  the  largest  island,  and  Zante  the  most  fertile;  but 
Corfu  has  always  been  the  most  important  on  account 
of  its  maritime  strength,  and  it  was  always  the  most 
renowned. 

For  a long  period  these  islands  were  subject  to  the 
Venetians,  who  conquered  them  from  the  Turks.  In 
1797  they  came  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  who 
were  driven  out  two  years  afterwards  by  the  united 
power  of  the  Turks  and  Russians.  In  1802  they  were 
declared  independent,  under  the  title  of  “The  Republic 
of  the  Seven  Islands.”  In  1807  they  were  again  in 
the  power  of  the  French.  The  English  afterwards 
conquered  part  of  them,  and  in  1814  they  were  all 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Allied  Powers.6  By  the 
treaty  of  Paris  of  Nov.  5,  1815,  they  were  consigned 
to  the  protection  of  Great  Britain,  under  the  title  of 
“The  United  States  of  the  Ionian  Islands.”  The  new 
government  became  organized  near  the  close  of  1817, 


(a)  Corfu,  Santa  Maura  and  Zante,  are  now  called  by  the  native  Greeks 
Kepiivpx,  Aeums  or  Atux.iJ'ai,  and  ZdauvBoc,  Corcyra,  Leucas  or  Leucada, 
and  Zacynthos. 

(b)  Goodisson’s  Essay  on  the  Ionian  Islands. 


CITY  OF  CORFU ANCIENT  TEMPLE.  169 

at  which  time  Sir  Thomas  Maitland  was  the  representa- 
tive of  the  British  Sovereign,  with  the  title  of  “Lord 
High  Commissioner.”  The  present  Commissioner  is 
Sir  Frederic  Adam.  He  resides  at  Corfu,  has  a rep- 
resentative in  each  of  the  other  islands  called  Resident , 
and  is  vested  by  the  Constitution  of  the  islands  with 
considerable  powers.  There  is,  besides,  a senate, 
(which  is  the  executive  power,}  a legislative  assembly, 
and  a judiciary. 

The  population  of  the  five  principal  islands  has  been 
estimated  as  follows: — Corfu  60,000,  Cefalonia  60,000, 
Zante  35,000,  Santa  Maura  i 7,000,  Ithaca  8,000; 
total,  180,000.  The  number  of  souls  in  the  seven  isl- 
ands and  their  dependencies  does  not  exceed  200,000.c 

The  towns  and  villages  of  Corfu  are  reckoned  at 
130.  The  capital  is  on  the  eastern  side,  about  20 
miles  from  cape  Bianco,  and  contains  17,000  souls. 
It  occupies  a point  of  land  extending  into  the  channel, 
with  an  old  castle  crowning  a high,  pointed  rock  at  the 
extremity,  having  the  harbor  on  the  north.  The  city 
is  not  well  built,  but  is  strongly  fortified.  The  espla- 
nade, between  the  castle  and  town,  is  a lovely  green 
ornamented  with  gravel  walks  and  rows  of  the  lilac  tree, 
and  terminated  towards  the  harbor  by  the  palace  of  the 
Lord  High  Commissioner. 

Going  south  of  the  city  two  or  three  miles,  we  crossed 
the  site  of  the  ancient  Corcyra,  and  perhaps  of  Phaea- 
cia,  and  came  to  the  end  of  a promontory,  where  the 
lake  Chalichiopulo  opens  into  the  channel.  Here  is  a 
rock,  which  some  regard  as  Homer’s  Phseacian  boat; 
more  on  account  of  its  location,  than  from  any  resem- 
blance it  bears  to  the  boats  of  the  ancients.  A road 
has  been  constructed  to  this  point  on  McAdam’s  prin- 
ciples and  in  the  very  best  manner,  shaded  by  aged 
olive  trees,  and  designed  for  a rural  drive  for  the  few 
in  the  city  who  possess  carriages.  Near  it,  on  the  de- 
clivity facing  Epirus,  under  the  “green  trees”  of  a 


15 


(c)  Goodisson. 


170 


EXCURSION  INTO  THE  INTERIOR. 


“grove,”  is  an  altar  of  the  ancient  inhabitants — a small 
Doric  temple  lately  discovered  beneath  the  ground. 
Some  of  the  columns  have  fallen  since  it  was  laid  open, 
but  a number  are  standing.  I had  never  seen  a pagan 
temple  before. 

Accompanied  by  our  friend  Mr.  Lowndes,  whose  at- 
tentions, with  those  of  his  excellent  lady,  were  unwearied, 
we  made  an  excursion,  on  the  12th  of  March,  about  16 
miles  northwest  of  the  city.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Hildner, 
a missionary  from  Basle  who  has  since  gone  to  Syra 
under  the  patronage  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
increased  our  company  to  five.  Taking  horses  in  the 
suburbs,  we  crossed  the  Potamos  three  miles  from  the 
city,  and  soon  after  passed,  through  a village  of  the 
same  name.  The  road  for  seven  miles  is  thoroughly 
macadamized,  and  leads  through  lovely  valleys,  and 
over  gentle  slopes,  the  scenery  always  beautiful,  some- 
times magnificent.  The  snowy  ranges  of  Albania  were 
more  fully  exposed  to  view  this  morning  than  we  had 
seen  them  before,  and  it  was  striking  to  observe  how 
well  the  limits  of  congelation  were  defined  on  the 
sides.  Not  far  from  us  on  the  eastern  projection  of  the 
island,  the  bare  and  massy  rocks  of  St.  Salvador  tow- 
ered up  3,000  feet.  All  around  us  over  hill  and  dale 
the  light  green  of  the  olive  forest  (for  such  it  seemed) 
was  contrasted  with  the  funereal  shade  of  the  cypres- 
ses, that  here  and  there  shoot  up  from  the  midst  of  it. 
The  ground  beneath,  it  being  the  rainy  reason,  was 
clothed  with  grass  and  a variety  of  wild  flowers,  and, 
in  that  fine  morning,  all  nature  seemed  joyous  as  it  was 
when  fresh  from  the  hand  of  the  Creator. 

We  next  travelled  two  miles  on  an  unfinished  road, 
where  the  argillaceous  soil  was  saturated  with  water, 
and  we  sank  deep  in  clay  at  every  step.d  We  passed 


(d)  Mr.  Winnock,  the  military  chaplain  on  the  station,  and  translator 
and  editor  of  Julius  David’s  Modern  Greek  Grammar,  introduced  us  to 
the  use  of  the  Garrison  Library  at  Corfu  containing-  about  3,000  volumes, 
where  I had  access  to  a meteorological  journal.  It  rained  on  90  days 
in  1828.  Both  the  frequency  and  degree  of  rain  were  uncommon.  The 
first  part  of  1829  was  still  more  remarkable  for  the  abundance  and  frequency 


EXCURSION  INTO  THE  INTERIOR. 


171 


a large  number  of  peasants  working  out  their  road-tax 
of  twelve  days  in  a year,  and  cheerful  and  talkative  as 
the  Greeks  always  are.  After  this  we  entered  a wild 
country,  and  had  to  content  ourselves  with  a mule-track, 
crooked  and  rugged,  leading  through  various  kinds  of 
shrubbery  and  along  ravines  and  hills.  The  olive-trees 
became  less  numerous,  and,  though  there  are  occasional 
vineyards,  the  vines  were  cut  off  close  to  the  ground, 
and  our  cornfields  in  November  do  not  look  more  unin- 
teresting. Two  or  three  villages  were  seen  at  the  foot 
of  St.  Salvador,  in  one  of  which  we  entered  again  upon 
a macadamized  road  brought  over  the  mountain  from 
the  north  to  meet  the  road  from  Corfu.  Ascending  we 
came,  about  midway,  to  the  convent  of  Blacherena, 
containing  but  a single  inmate.  It  affords  one  of  the 
many  proofs  we  have  seen  of  the  taste  for  interesting 
prospects  exhibited  by  monks  in  the  location  of  their 
establishments.  Mr.  Lowndes  keeps  a small  supply  of 
books  in  this  convent,  for  sale  to  any  who  may  be  dis- 
posed to  purchase  them.  From  hence  we  proceeded 
to  the  pass  in  the  mountain,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the 
road,  and  looked  abroad  over  the  Adriatic  towards 
Italy,  which  can  be  seen  in  some  states  of  the  atmos- 
phere. One  of  the  rocky  islets  near  the  shore  so 
strikingly  resembles  a boat  under  sail,  that  this,  rather 
than  the  shapeless  mass  near  the  city,  has  been  called 
“the  Ship  Ulysses.” 

“What  hands  unseen  the  rapid  bark  restrain! 

And  yet  it  swims,  or  seems  to  swim,  the  main!” 

Climbing  still  higher,  we  see  nearly  the  whole  island. 
A beautiful  tract  of  land  lies  beneath  us  on  the  north, 
and  a number  of  large  villages.  And  now  we  have  a 


of  rain.  There  was  rain  in  21  days  of  January;  in  14  of  February,  with 
snow  on  four,  and  ice  on  the  esplanade;  and  in  11  of  the  first  15  days  of 
March. — The  extremes  of  Fahrenheit’s  thermometer  at  7 A.  M.,  were  48 
and  87  degrees  in  1828;  and  at  3 P.  M.,48  and  92  degrees.  Vaudon_ 
court  compares  the  temperature  of  Corfu  to  that  of  the  Morea,  Sicily 
and  Malta.  The  N.  W.  winds  temper  the  heat  of  summer;  the  S.  W’ 
winds  occasion  the  winter  rains.  He  says  wells  are  scarce,  and  the  in* 
habitants  are  obliged  to  preserve  rain-water  in  cisterns. 


172 


EXCELLENT  ROADS. 


view  of  the  lofty  Ceraunia,  in  Albania,  terminating  in 
the  sea,  and  stretching  off  in  a southeasterly  direction — 
his  whole  top  covered  with  clouds,  except  the  highest 
summit,  which  the  ancients  believed  to  be  peculiarly 
obnoxious  to  the  bolts  of  Jupiter.  That  rose  sublimely 
out  of  the  mass  of  vapor,  its  wintry  snows  glittering  in 
the  sun.e  Southward  we  look  abroad  over  an  extensive 
and  picturesque  valley,  filled  with  olive  forests,  in  which 
verdant  fields  and  white  houses  are  interspersed;  the 
whole  backed  by  hills  stretching  along  the  western  shore 
of  the  island. 

Returning  to  the  city,  we  crossed  the  Potamos  near 
where  Ulysses  is  supposed  to  have  met  the  princess  of 
the  Phaeacians.  Perhaps,  too,  in  going  or  returning, 
our  road  led  over  the  very  ground  that  had  been  occu- 
pied by  the  gardens  of  Alcinous. 

The  excellent  roads  of  which  I have  spoken,  were  as 
unexpected  as  they  were  gratifying.  They  are  all  of 
recent  origin,  and  the  effect  of  British  enterprise.  Nor 
are  they  confined  to  Corfu.  I have  official  authority 
for  saying,  that  nearly  100  miles  of  good  road  have 
been  made  in  Cefalonia,  and  20  miles  in  Ithaca.  Such 
road  we  found,  also,  in  Zante,  and  suppose  it  has  been 
made  in  the  other  islands.  In  general  it  is  cut  through 
a rough  and  rocky  ground.  Much  of  it  is  on  the  sides 
of  steep  acclivities,  where  zigzag  courses  with  sharp 
angles  are  necessary  to  secure  a declivity  so  gentle  as 
to  be  practicable  for  carriages.  Few  carriages,  how- 
ever, have  yet  been  procured  by  the  natives.  In  Ithaca 
there  were  none;  in  Cefalonia  not  above  half  a dozen; 
in  Corfu  there  were  eight  in  1825,  and  thirty-nine  at  the 
period  of  our  visit.  I know  not  that  carts  or  wagons 
are  yet  employed  to  facilitate  the  labors  of  agriculture. 
The  peasant  is  satisfied  with  his  trusty  and  fearless 
mule,  and  often  prefers  the  steep  mountain  path  to  the 


(e)  Named  Ceraunia  from  K epctvvoc,  a thunderbolt, — D’Ani'ille. — The 
ancients  give  a frightful  description  of  these  mountains;  as  rocks  heaped 
above  rocks  to  the  clouds,  their  sides  rent  by  lightning,  always  washed 
by  a tempestuous  sea,  and  the  shores  covered  by  the  wrecks  of  vessels. 


SOCIAL  CONDITION  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 


173 


smooth  and  easy  highway.  Indeed  he  suspects  some 
sinister  design  in  these  mysterious  improvements,  and 
feels  less  grateful  for  them  than  he  probably  will  at  a 
future  day. 

The  number  of  olive  trees  on  the  island  of  Corfu  is 
immense.  As  has  been  repeatedly  intimated,  they  make 
the  country,  when  viewed  from  certain  points,  to  resem- 
ble a forest/  Of  grain  enough  is  not  raised  to  supply 
a fourth  part  of  the  demand,  and  culinary  vegetables 
are  strangely  dear  in  the  market.  The  chief  attention 
of  the  Corfiotes  is  given  to  the  olive,  and  the  moral  con- 
sequences of  this  are  important.  As  the  tree  requires 
very  little  labor,  the  people  are  idle  a great  part  of  the 
year,  and  this  idleness  is  the  parent  of  a melancholy 
train  of  vices.  Often  the  spring  gives  promise  of  great 
fruitfulness,  and  as  this  naturally  leads  to  sanguine  ex- 
pectations and  extravagance,  pecuniary  embarrassment 
is  frequently  the  result,  even  when  this  early  promise 
does  not  prove  fallacious.  There  is,  also,  a singular 
complexity  and  minuteness  of  division  in  the  right  of 
property,  leading  to  misunderstanding  and  excessive  lit- 
igation. We  were  credibly  informed  that  the  land  not 
unfrequently  belongs  to  one  person,  the  trees  to  another, 


(f)  “Land  that  is  barren,  sandy,  dry,  and  mountainous,  is  favorable  to 
the  production  of  the  olive.  The  olive  is  pleasant  to  the  view,  having 
widely  extended  branches,  and  remaining  green  in  winter.  Its  multiplied 
branches  entitled  it  to  become  the  symbol  of  a numerous  progeny,  a bless- 
ing which  was  attributed  to  the  peculiar  favor  of  God,  Ps.  lii.  8.  cxxviii.  3. 
Hos.  xiv.  6.  Jer.  xi.  16,  17.  It  flourishes  about  two  hundred  years,  and 
even  while  it  is  living,  young  olives  spring  up  around  it  which  occupy  its 
place  when  dead.  It  was  customary,  notwithstanding,  to  raise  the  tree 
from  suckers,  which  were  transplanted.  It  requires  no  other  cultivation 
than  digging  the  ground  and  pruning  the  branches.  The  fruit  is  very 
pleasant  to  the  palate,  but  nearly  all  of  it  is  thrown  into  the  oil  press,  for 
the  purpose  of  procuring  the  oil,  of  which  there  are  sometimes  one  thou- 
sand pounds  obtained  from  one  tree.  By  means  of  this  article,  the  Jews 
carried  on  an  extensive  commerce  with  the  Tyrians,  Ezek.  xxvii.  17. 
comp.  1 Kings,  v.  11:  they  also  sent  presents  of  oil  to  the  kings  of  Egypt, 
Hos.  xii.  I.77 — John’s  Biblical  Archaeology. 

The  olive  tree  is  more  profitable  than  any  species  of  grain,  if  we  com- 
pare the  ground  it  occupies,  and  the  labor  and  expense  it  requires.  Many 
of  the  trees  we  saw  in  Corfu  must  be  more  than  a century  old. — The 
fruit  begins  to  ripen  in  November,  but  does  not  fall  off  till  near  the  end  of 
December.  It  is  then  gathered,  and  in  April  is  sent  to  the  mill;  but  the 
harvest  is  not  entirely  ended  till  May. 

15* 


174 


PROFESSOR  BAMBAS. 


and  the  right  of  cultivation  to  a third.  And  in  the  di- 
vision of  trees  among  a family  of  heirs,  a person  some- 
times receives  a tree  in  one  place,  two  in  another,  and 
others  somewhere  else  perhaps  several  miles  distant:  he 
cannot  watch  his  property,  and  it  is  stolen. 

It  is  not  easy  to  see  how  such  evils  are  to  be  speedily 
removed  from  a community,  wThen  they  are  inwrought 
into  the  very  texture  of  its  constitution.  We  were  as- 
sured that  the  government  is  endeavoring  to  introduce 
greater  simplicity  into  the  social  relations  of  the  people, 
and  thus  improve  their  character  and  condition;  but  the 
moral  evils  which  afflict  Corfu,  will  never  be  corrected 
by  legislation,  without  the  regular  preaching  of  the  Gos- 
pel in  the  towns  and  villages — a blessing  not  now  en- 
joyed by  any  of  them. 

Having  letters  of  introduction  to  Professor  Bambas, 
we  made  his  acquaintance  at  an  early  period  of  our 
visit.  This  man,  perhaps  the  most  interesting  Greek 
now  living,  spent  nine  years  in  study  at  Paris  under  the 
celebrated  Coray.  He  returned  to  the  island  of  Scio 
about  the  year  1815,  and  three  years  afterwards  Mr. 
Jowett,  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  found  him 
instructing  in  the  college  of  that  island.  In  1820  Messrs. 
Fisk  and  Parsons,  missionaries  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  spent  some 
months  at  Scio  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  a knowledge 
of  the  modern  Greek  language,  and  Bambas  was  their 
teacher.  He  was  then  thought  to  be  the  most  learned 
man  on  the  island.  He  favored  the  distribution  of  re- 
ligious tracts  among  the  students  of  the  college,  and 
himself  translated  a part  of  the  book  entitled  “The 
Young  Minister’s  Companion,”  for  the  benefit  of  his 
pupils.  The  Greek  revolution  commenced  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  the  professor,  apprehending  that  the 
Turks  regarded  him  with  jealousy,  thought  it  prudent  to 
retire.  To  this  timely  retreat  he  probably  owes  his 
life.  He  repaired  first  to  the  Peloponnesus.  Not  find- 
ing scope  for  his  genius  there,  he  went  to  the  island  of 
Cefalonia,  where  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of  a clas- 


PROFESSOR  BAMBAS. 


175 


sical  school  founded  in  that  island  by  Lord  Guilford. 
Upon  the  opening  of  the  University  at  Corfu  by  that 
munificent  nobleman,  Bambas  was  appointed  a profes- 
sor. He  now  instructs  in  logic,  metaphysics,  and  mored- 
i(«p^etic.al.)  theology,  and  is  a member  of  the  general 
committee  for  public  education,  and  president  of  the 
theological  seminary  connected  with  the  University.5 
The  professor  has  published,  besides  a number  of  ser- 
mons, a work  on  ethics,  and  another  in  two  volumes  on 
the  grammar  and  syntax  of  ancient  Greek.  I had 
heard  little  of  this  worthy  man  for  some  years  past, 
except  that  he  had  escaped  the  scimitar  which  crim- 
soned his  native  island  with  blood,  and  that  he  had  be- 
come connected  with  the  Ionian  University.  How  re- 
joiced we  were  on  coming  to  the  place  of  his  residence, 
to  hear  an  intelligent  and  judicious  friend,  who  is  well 
acquainted  with  Bambas,  express  a decided  opinion  in 
favor  of  his  piety  and  preaching. 

We  were  led  into  his  study  by  an  attendant,  and 
Bambas  himself  immediately  coming  in  welcomed  us 
with  great  simplicity  and  affection.  His  age  appeared 
to  be  fifty.  His  dress  consisted  of  a long  under  gar- 
ment bound  round  the  waist  by  a silken  zone.  Over 
this  he  wore  a warm  loose  garment  bordered  with  fur, 
and  on  his  head  a black  cap  flat  at  the  top.  His  fine 
dark  beard,  which  is  allowed  to  grow  in  consequence  of 
his  ecclesiastical  profession, h his  sweet  countenance  en- 
livened by  a quick  eye,  and  the  deliberation,  judgment, 
and  kindness,  with  which  he  replied  to  our  inquiries, 
combined  with  his  reputation  for  learning,  benevolence, 
and  piety,  most  agreeably  impressed  our  minds  at 
the  first  interview;  and  this  impression  was  sustained 
by  our  subsequent  intercourse. 

While  the  professor  was  reading  my  letters,  I sur- 
veyed his  library,  in  which  were  a number  of  English 


(g)  The  importance  of  this  office  will  appear  more  fully  when  we  speak 
of  the  state  of  education  in  the  Ionian  Islands. 

(h)  He  is  only  in  deacon’s  orders. 


176 


GREEK  PREACHING, 


books  such  as  are  thought  necessary  to  the  libraries  of 
learned  and  pious  clergymen  in  my  own  country.  He 
reads  English,  and  understands  it  to  some  extent  when 
spoken,  but  does  not  attempt  to  converse  in  it.  With 
the  French  and  Italian  he  is  of  course  familiaj,  i tojfl 
him  of  the  promising  Greek  youths,  whom  the  Society 
with  which  I was  connected  was  educating  in  America, 
and  he  expressed  great  satisfaction,  -and  the  more  as 
some  of  these  youths  had  been  his  pupils  at  Scio.  He 
showed  an  earnest  desire  that  they  might  become  not  only 
able,  but  also  disposed,  to  raise  the  tone  of  practical  re- 
ligion, as  well  as  of  science,  among  their  countrymen.1 

It  did  not  devolve  upon  Bambas  to  preach  while  we 
were  m the  island;  but  we  heard  his  associate,  Typal- 
dos,  the  professor  of  theology,  on  the  first  Sabbath  in 
Lent.  The  sermon  was  delivered  in  the  cathedral, 
which,  like  all  the  other  churches  in  the  city,  has  a 
sombre  interior,  though  a multitude  of  pictures  gild  its 
walls,  and  twenty  or  thirty  lighted  silver  lamps  are  sus- 
pended from  the  roof.  The  audience  was  large  and 
respectable.  Mass  being  ended  the  preacher  ascended 
a small  box,  or  pulpit,  on  one  side  of  the  church,  and 
with  a well  bred  bow  to  his  audience,  commenced  his 
discourse.  He  wore  a black  gown  and  the  round  hat- 


(i)  On  our  departure  from  Corfu,  Prof.  Bambas  gave  us  a letter  to  The- 
ophilus,  a teacher  of  some  celebrity  in  the  island  of  Andros,  a translation 
of  which  I may  be  allowed  to  insert. 

“Most  beloved  Theophilus: — After  so  long  and  painful  a separation,  the 
present  good  opportunity  has  occurred  not  merely  of  writing  to  you,  but 
of  affording  you  a special  gratification  by  recommending  to  your  love  the 
bearers  of  the  present,  our  most  respectable  friends,  the  Rev.  R.  Ander- 
son, Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Anglo-American  Missionary  Society,  and 
the  Rev.  E.  Smith.  The  object  of  Mr.  Anderson’s  visit  to  Greece  is  to 
observe  our  state  with  regard  to  literature  and  morals,  and  to  ascertain  in 
what  respects  and  in  what  manner  his  Society  may  most  advantageously 
assist  us  in  our  national  progress.  This  also,  my  friend,  we  ought  cer- 
tainly to  refer  to  the  providence  of  our  Saviour,  that,  after  giving  us  a 
national  existence,  he  sends  us  friends  and  benefactors  from  the  ends  of 
the  earth.  Please  therefore  to  receive  them  with  feelings  of  spiritual 
brotherhood,  and  gratify  their  benevolent  curiosity  both  by  your  immedi- 
ate communications,  and  by  introductory  letters  to  other  friends  residing 
in  such  parts  of  Greece  as  they  may  wish  to  visit. — Your  brother  and 
friend  in  the  Lord.” 


CHRISTIAN  IDOLATRY. 


177 


crown  of  the  Greek  clergy,  with  a veil  attached  to  it 
falling  down  his  shoulders  behind.  His  elocution  was 
distinct,  his  manner  earnest,  his  action  rather  abundant, 
but  graceful.  Though  I was  able  to  understand  little 
except  his  easy,  persuasive,  impressive  manner,  I could 
not  but  think  with  delight  what  preachers  the  Greeks, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  may  yet  make.  His  subject  was 
“the  causes  and  evil  consequences  of  slander.”  After 
the  introduction,  and  also  between  the  two  divisions  of 
the  discourse,  he  sat  down  a few  moments,  affording 
opportunity  for  a collection  in  one  of  the  pauses,  and 
giving  notice  in  the  other  of  the  subject  on  which  he 
intended  to  preach  the  next  Sabbath. 

This  cathedral  contains  the  relicts  of  Spiridion,  the 
patron  saint  of  Corfu.  He  is  known  in  ecclesiastical 
history  as  a native  of  Cyprus,  a bishop  and  confessor 
under  Maximian,  deprived  by  his  enemies  of  an  eye, 
crippled,  condemned  to  the  mines,  and  afterwards  pres- 
ent at  the  council  of  Nice.  Mr.  Bird,  one  of  the 
American  missionaries  in  Syria,  says  that  among  the 
Arabs  he  is  reputed  to  have  been  a great  worker  of 
miracles  in  his  time,  and  to  have  confounded  Arius  at 
the  council.  The  honors  rendered  to  him  at  Corfu  are 
a striking  specimen  of  Christian  idolatry.  The  Corfi- 
otes believe  they  possess  his  body,  which  they  preserve 
in  a silver  shrine  partly  overlaid  with  gold.  This  is 
deposited  in  a small  chamber  on  the  left  side  of  the  al- 
tar, which  occupies  that  part  of  the  chancel  called  the 
sanctuary.  The  whole  is  admirably  contrived  for  effect. 
Even  at  noon  but  a dim  light  from  a couple  of  lamps 
glimmers  on  the  coffin.  Highly  ornamented  pictures 
could  just  be  seen  around.  Three  votaries  entered 
while  we  were  there.  They  crossed  themselves,  bow- 
ed, kissed  the  shrine  with  every  mark  of  profound  ven- 
eration, and  retired — to  be  succeeded  by  other  votaries, 
and  others  still,  through  every  hour  of  every  day.  Here 
was  superstition — idolatry!  Four  times  a year  these 
relicts  are  carried  in  solemn  procession  about  the  city, 
when  the  sick  and  lame  are  brought  into  the  streets  to 


178 


PRIESTHOOD CHURCHES. 


be  overshadowed  by  them.  An  oath  taken  over  the 
shrine  of  St.  Spiridion  is  more  efficacious  with  the 
Greeks  of  Corfu,  than  one  administered  under  any  other 
circumstances.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  priests  of  the 
island  make  any  effort  to  restrain  the  superstitious  ven- 
eration of  the  people  for  relicts  and  pictures.  Indeed  the 
religious  influence  of  these  priests  cannot  be  great;  for 
though  their  morals  are  not  particularly  bad,  their  igno- 
rance, as  a body,  is  extreme.  Idleness  and  apathy  are 
represented  as  common  traits  among  them.  A gentle- 
man, who  has  associated  with  them  on  rather  inti- 
mate terms,  and  who  is  remarkable  for  candor  and 
kindness  as  well  as  intelligence  in  his  judgments  of 
men,  has  been  able  to  discover  very  little  of  that  rever- 
ence for  sacred  things,  and  of  that  benevolent  regard 
for  their  people,  which  so  become  the  priest  and  the 
pastor.  In  country  parishes  their  education  is  frequently 
limited  to  the  mere  ability  to  read.  In  these  parishes 
preaching  is  rare,  in  the  city  it  is  heard  only  during 
Lent,  and  the  sermons  generally  are  more  or  less  filled 
with  fabulous  histories  of  the  saints.  And  when  it  is 
considered,  that  parochial  visitation  for  the  purpose  of 
imparting  religious  instruction  is  unknown,  and  that  the 
services  of  the  church  are  in  ancient  Greek  which 
few  understand,  it  will  easily  be  seen  that  the  peo- 
ple are  in  danger  of  being  “destroyed  for  lack  of 
knowledge.” 

Of  priests  and  churches  the  island  of  Corfu,  and  in- 
deed all  the  Ionian  Islands,  have  more  than  a suffi- 
ciency; and  it  is  a singular  fact,  to  which  I have  already 
referred,  that  the  latter  are  three  times  more  numerous 
than  the  former.  In  1829  the  island  of  Corfu  contain- 
ed 233  priests  and  767  churches.-*  In  Ithaca,  the 


( j)  In  1820,  the  number  of  priests  was  326,  and  that  of  the  churches 
774.  Some  of  the  churches  had  gone  to  decay.  The  diminution  in  the 
number  of  priests  was  owing,  as  was  said,  to  the  interference  of  govern- 
ment, in  consequence  of  which  no  ordinations  have  taken  place  since  that 
year^  The  government  is  aiming,  evidently,  to  reduce  the  number  of 
priests  to  some  just  proportion  to  the  wants  of  the  peoplej  and  when  that 
is  done,  the  people  will  be  able  to  give  their  religious  teachers  a more 
respectable  support. 


SUPPORT  OF  THE  CLERGY. 


179 


priests  were  39,  and  the  churches  126.  In  Paxo  the 
numbers  were  respectively  24  and  61.  Many  of  the 
churches,  however,  are  very  small,  erected  merely  in 
honor  of  some  saint,  in  solitary  places,  near  some 
fountain,  under  some  grove,  on  the  top  of  some  hill; 
never  used  nor  intended  to  be  used  for  parish  purposes, 
and  never  opened  except  on  the  feast  of  the  particular 
saints  to  whom  they  are  dedicated.  Then  a priest  from 
a neighboring  parish  says  mass  in  them. 

Corfu  contained  nine  or  ten  convents  in  1820,  in 
which  were  55  monks  and  82  noviciates.  There  were 
also  two  nunneries.  The  number  in  1829  we  could 
not  ascertain  with  certainty.  In  Cefalonia  there  are 
not  more  than  six.  It  may  be  said  of  these  establish- 
ments in  all  the  islands,  that  they  are  declining,  and 
that  the  monastic  system  stands  low  in  the  public  es- 
timation. 

The  funds  of  the  churches  and  convents,  excepting 
such  as  are  private  property,  are  at  the  disposal  of  gov- 
ernment, which  grants  an  annual  stipend  to  the  eccle- 
siastics according  to  their  rank.  The  archbishop  of 
Corfu  receives  about  100  dollars  a month,  and  the  arch- 
bishop of  Cefalonia  180.  The  lower  clergy  receive 
only  from  10  to  18  dollars  per  annum.  The  perqui- 
sites for  private  masses,  baptisms,  marriages,  burials, 
etc.  are  in  addition  to  this  allowance.  The  whole  income 
of  the  country  clergy  is  generally  but  a pittance,  quite  in- 
adequate to  their  necessities  as  they  are  usually  married; 
so  that  many  are  obliged  to  apply  themselves  to  manual 
labors  for  a support,  contrary  to  the  rules  of  their 
church. 

The  assumption  and  distribution  of  the  ecclesiastical 
revenues  by  the  government,  must  have  the  good  effect 
of  equalizing  the  salaries  of  the  clergy,  and  checking  the 
growth  of  monachism. 

I have  spoken  of  the  lower  classes  of  the  people  as 
addicted  to  superstition.  That  is  a trait  of  their  char- 
acter which  everywhere  forces  itself  upon  the  notice  of 
the  traveller.  But  among  the  higher  classes,  infidelity, 


180  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  VENETIAN  POLICY. 

or  at  least  indifference  to  the  forms  of  religion,  is  said 
to  be  exceedingly  prevalent.  They  pay  little  attention 
to  the  fasts,  and  rarely  appear  at  church.  Among  all 
classes  the  female  sex  is  most  devoted  to  religious  ob- 
servances. The  Sabbath  is  regarded  as  commencing 
at  vespers  on  Saturday  evening,  which  few  attend. 
The  principal  assembly  is  at  mass  the  next  morning, 
after  which  the  people  walk  the  streets,  ramble  in  the 
country,  visit,  and  make  the  day  contribute  as  much  as 
possible  to  their  amusement.  In  the  city,  it  is  fashion- 
able to  attend  the  opera  in  the  evening. 

The  sad  decline  of  religion  and  morals  in  Corfu, 
and  indeed  throughout  the  islands,  is  in  part  to  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  colonial  policy  of  the  Venetians, 
the  worst,  perhaps,  that  is  known  in  the  history  of  mod- 
ern times.  It  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  this  sub- 
ject. Suffice  it  to  say,  that  while  the  islands  were  un- 
der the  Venetian  government,  the  established  religion 
was  that  of  the  church  of  Rome,k  and  the  papal  court 
had  full  scope  for  all  those  means  of  influence,  except- 
ing actual  martyrdom,  which  it  knows  so  well  how  to 
use.  The  Greek  church  was  neglected,  received  no 
cordial  aid  in  the  management  of  its  revenues,  had  no 
establishment  for  the  education  of  its  clergy.  The  ig- 
norance hence  pervading  the  clerical  body  is  generally 
acknowledged  and  lamented,  even  by  the  priests  them- 
selves, and  is  attributed  to  the  causes  just  mentioned. 
Under  the  present  government  matters  have  assumed  a 
different,  and  to  the  Greek  church,  a more  benignant, 
aspect.  That  is  now  the  established  church.  At  the 
same  time  the  Constitution  grants  the  fullest  toleration 
to  the  religion  of  the  Church  of  England,  to  “be  exer- 
cised by  those  who  profess  it  according  to  all  its  forms 
and  ceremonies  and  with  all  freedom.”  The  adherents 
to  the  Church  of  Rome  are  “specially  protected”  in  the 
exercise  of  their  religion;  and  “every  other  kind  of  re- 
ligion” is  tolerated.  But,  says  the  Constitution,  “no 


(k)  Galt's  Letters  from  the  Levant. 


CONNECTION  BETWEEN  CHURCH  AND  STATE.  181 

external  form  of  religious  adoration,  is  permitted  in 
these  states,  which  is  not  of  the  [three]  above  mentioned 
orthodox  churches.”  The  Constitution  disclaims  the 
obligation  to  support  any  prelates  out  of  the  Greek 
church  “by  funds  that  might  be  otherwise  usefully  em- 
ployed,” except  only  such  as  were  residents  and  in 
office  when  the  Constitution  first  took  effect;  so  that  the 
Papists  are  likely  to  be  thrown  entirely  upon  their  own 
resources. 

In  respect  to  the  internal  regulations  of  the  Greek 
church  of  the  Ionian  Islands,  it  is  declared  that  the 
Ionian  parliament  reserves  to  itself  the  power  of  making, 
with  the  assent  of  the  Lord  High  Commissioner,  such 
changes  and  dispositions  in  the  mode  of  electing  the 
prelates  of  the  church,  and  in  every  other  point  connect- 
ed with  it,  as  shall  not  oppose  the  power  of  the  patriarch 
of  Constantinople  and  the  laws  of  the  acknowledged 
councils.  And  it  is  a fact,  that  the  Ionian  clergy  have 
few,  if  any,  peculiar  privileges  conceded  to  them  as  a 
matter  of  right.  They  are  subject  to  the  parliament, 
which  regulates  the  manner  of  their  appointment,  and 
the  disposal  of  the  funds  by  which  they  are  supported. 

Each  island  has  a bishop.  The  bishops  of  the  four 
larger  islands  have  each  the  title  of  “metropolitan  arch- 
bishop,” because  they  are  in  turn  vested  with  the  su- 
preme ecclesiastical  authority  over  all  the  islands,  which 
they  hold  during  the  period  of  one  parliament,  or  five 
years.  These  archbishops,  with  the  bishop  of  Cerigo, 
are  independent  in  their  respective  jurisdictions.  The 
bishops  of  Ithaca  and  Paxo  are  suffragan,  and  dependent, 
one  on  the  archbishop  of  Cefalonia,  the  other  on  the 
archbishop  of  Corfu. 

The  number  of  Greeks  in  the  islands  connected  with 
the  Church  of  Rome,  we  did  not  learn.  They  reside 
chiefly  in  the  cities  of  Corfu  and  Zante. 

Of  Jews  there  are  3,000  in  Corfu,  1,500  in  Zante, 
and  perhaps  50  in  Cefalonia.  They  have  a number  of 
synagogues,  in  which  there  is  public  worship  at  stated 
seasons,  notwithstanding  the  article  in  the  Constitution 
16 


182 


VERSIONS  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES. 


restricting  that  privilege  to  three  sects  of  Christians. 
We  heard  their  Rabbi  preach  on  the  feast  of  Purim. 
He  afterwards  received  us  very  civilly  at  his  house,  and 
provided  us  with  letters  of  introduction  to  his  Jewish 
friends  in  Larissa  and  Salonica. 

The  only  printing  establishment  in  the  Ionian  Islands 
is  at  Corfu,  and  belongs  to  the  government.  There  are 
ten  presses  of  various  sizes.  Several  important  works 
have  been  issued  from  this  establishment,  and  among 
them  versions  of  the  New  Testament  in  the  Albanian 
and  Jewish-Spanish  languages.  Both  of  these  were 
printed  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Lowndes,  and 
at  the  expense  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
ciety.1 Since  my  return  to  this  country,  Mr.  Leeves, 
Agent  of  the  Bible  Society,  has  gone  to  reside  at 
Corfu,  for  the  purpose  of  printing  a version  of  the  Old 
Testament  in  the  modern  Greek,  made,  I believe,  ori- 
ginally from  the  Septuagint,  but  intended  to  be  conform- 
ed to  the  Hebrew.  m He  is  assisted  by  Mr.  Lowndes, 
and  has  been  so  much  favored  as  to  secure  the  aid,  also, 
of  Bambas  and  Typaldos,  the  professors  of  divinity  al- 
ready known  to  the  reader.  Two  versions  of  the  New 
Testament  in  modern  Greek,  both  of  which  are  suscep- 
tible of  considerable  improvement,  were  in  a course  of 
distribution  while  we  were  in  Greece. 

Mr.  Lowndes  once  made  application  to  the  govern- 
ment for  permission  to  establish  a printing  press  of  his 
own  on  one  of  the  islands,  but  was  refused.  u 

(l)  That  for  the  Jews,  was  made  at  Constantinople,  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  Mr.  Leeves. 

(m)  Before  the  Moscow  edition  of  the  Septuagint  was  published,  there 
were  very  few  copies  of  that  version  of  the  Old  Testament  among  the 
Greek  clergy,  bui  many  have  since  been  sold  to  those  of  the  Ionian  Isl- 
ands. The  Greeks  regard  the  Septuagint  with  more  veneration  than  they  do 
the  original  Hebrew,  but  will  be  less  strenuous  for  the  Apocryphal  books 
han  the  Papists  are,  and  will  receive  the  Old  Testament  without  those 

books.  This  I assert  on  the  authority  of  a gentleman  intimately  acquaint- 
ed with  the  Ionian  Greeks. 

(n)  The  Constitution  ofthe  Seven  Islands  contains  the  following  article 
in  relation  to  the  Press. — “There  shall  be  a general  printing  office  in  the 
United  States  of  the  Ionian  Islands  which  shall  be  established  at  the  per- 
manent seat  of  the  government,  and  the  press  shall  be  placed  under  the 
immediate  direction  of  the  Senate,  and  of  his  Excellency  the  Lord  High 


MASQUERADES. 


183 


A custom  fell  under  our  observation  while  in  Corfu, 
that  serves  to  illustrate  the  manners  of  the  people.  It 
is  that  of  promenading  in  masked  dresses'  during  the 
carnival.  ° We  arrived  after  carnival  had  properly  end- 
ed, the  people  having  relinquished  the  use  of  meat  the 
Sunday  before.  But  Lent  had  not  commenced,  as 
cheese  and  eggs  were  allowed  during  the  following 
week.  The  maskers  were  now  more  numerous  than 
at  any  time  before.  Nearly  200  might  be  seen  on  the 
public  walks  in  front  of  our  lodgings,  every  afternoon 
when  the  weather  was  good,  habited  chiefly  in  the  fe- 
male dress,  though  all  were  not  females.  Few  of  the 
costumes  were  strikingly  fantastic,  WTe  saw  none  that 
were  immodest,  and  the  law  defends  the  maskers  from 
insult,  and  prevents  them  from  insulting  others.  The 
following  Sabbath  was  terribly  profaned.  Maskers 
were  seen  on  horseback  and  in  phaetons,  the  dresses 
became  more  grotesque,  marshal  music  was  brought  in 
to  animate  the  scene,  and  a comical,  impious  cavalcade 
was  repeatedly  followed  round  the  esplanade  by  a laugh- 
ing, shouting  mob.  Could  anything  be  more  painful  to 
the  feelings  of  a Christian,  than  to  be  assured  that  the 
leaders  in  this  buffoonry  were  men  who  had  been  born 
and  educated  in  one  of  the  most  enlightened  and  Chris- 
tian countries  in  the  world? 

It  may  be  added,  that  we  obtained  our  interpreter 
at  Corfu.  He  was  a native  of  Ithaca,  had  been 
some  time  connected  with  the  Ionian  University,  and 
was  nearly  as  fluent  in  the  Italian  and  English  langua- 
ges, as  he  was  in  his  own.  We  found  him  amiable,  hon- 
est, intelligent,  naturally  somewhat  heedless,  but  always 
obliging.  With  respect  to  the  Greek  church  it  may  be 
said,  that  he  was  less  observant  of  the  fasts,  than  of  the 


Commissioner  of  his  Majesty  the  Sovereign  Protector,  and  under  the  im- 
mediate inspection  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Senate  for  the  general  depart- 
ment; nor  can  any  other  press  be  established  in  these  states,  except  with 
the  previous  license  of  the  Senate,  and  the  sanction  of  the  Lord  High 
Commissioner.” 

(o)  The  feast,  or  season  of  rejoicing,  before  Lent,  which  is  the  long- 
est of  the  fasts. 


184 


INTERPRETER  FOR  THE  TOUR. 


feasts,  and  often  argued  with  our  boatmen  and  mule- 
teers on  the  absurdity  of  denominating  that  a fast,  which 
consisted  merely  in  substituting  one  kind  of  food  for 
another.  The  regard  he  saw  us  have  for  veracity  in 
our  intercourse  with  men,  struck  him  forcibly,  and  he 
often  mentioned  the  fact  by  way  of  caution  to  our  mule- 
teers. He  also  learned  that  Protestants  make  the 
Scriptures  their  only  rule  of  religious  faith  and  practice; 
and  at  the  end  of  his  engagement  with  us  he  evidently 
had  a more  favorable  impression  of  Protestanism,  than 
at  the  beginning.  But  I fear  his  heart  was  never  seri- 
ously affected. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


IONIAN  ISLANDS. 

From  Corfu  to  Santa  Maura — Historical  associations — Island  of  Pazo — Island  of 
Santa  Maura—  Amaxichi— Remarks  upon  the  island—  Cefalonia—Argos- 
toli — Lixuri— Ruins  of  Cranium— Convent  of  St.  Andrew  and  female  boarding 
school — Cross  the  island — Pilaro — Samos— Remarks  on  the  island  and  it£  in- 
habitants— Treatment  received  from  the  Greek  clergy  of  Argostoii  and  cause 
of  it — Intercourse  with  laymen — Island  of  Ithaca — lliysical  character — Bathi 
— Fountain  of  Arethusa — Social  intercourse — Bishop  of  Ithaca— Castle  of 
Ulysses— Detention — Police  regulations — Chief  occupation  of  the  Ithacians — 
Island  of  Zrmte^city — condition  of  females — Remarks  on  the  island. 

On  Friday  morning,  March  20th,  we  left  Corfu  in  the 
government  steamboat  that  plies  regularly  between  Corfu 
and  Zante,  touching  at  the  different  islands  on  the  route. 
The  day  was  charmingly  serene.  The  voyage,  too, 
was  over  waters  and  in  view  of  shores  full  of  historical 
interest.  Here  was  fought  the  first  naval  battle  on  re- 
cord. Here  Augustus  and  Antony  contended  for  the 
empire  of  the  world.  Just  above  the  waves  on  the  left, 
was  the  rock  of  Parga  covered  with  white  houses, 
where  expired  almost  the  last  remnant  of  Grecian  liberty. 
Beyond  stood  the  mountains  of  Suli,  and  among  them  a 
solitary  peak  shooting  above  the  rest  and  clad  in  snow, 
beneath  which  the  brave  but  hapless  Suliotes  once 
lived. 

At  Paxo  we  only  exchanged  mails,  without  landing, 
and  of  course  had  no  opportunity  to  examine  the  isl- 
and. It  appeared  to  be  covered  with  olive  trees. 

The  sun  was  setting  when  we  cast  anchor  in  the  little 
harbor  of  Amaxichi,  the  chief  town  of  Santa  Maura; 
but  as  the  evening  was  lighted  by  the  moon,  we  went  on 
shore,  and  spent  a couple  of  hours  in  the  streets.  The 
town  is  unwalled,  and  contains  about  5,000  souls. 
Owing  to  the  shallows  in  the  vicinity,  it  is  one  of  the 
16* 


186  ISLANDS  OF  SANTA  MAURA  AND  CEFALONIA. 

most  unhealthy  places  in  the  islands.  In  1825  it  suf- 
fered terribly  by  an  earthquake,  and  the  inhabitants, 
since  that  event,  have  had  the  precaution  to  build  most 
of  their  houses  of  one  story,  and  to  strengthen  the  walls 
by  cross-bars  of  wood.  Coffee-shops  are  numerous,  in 
which  coffee  is  sold  in  very  small  cups,  and  reiki*  in 
glasses  still  more  diminutive.  The  raki  was  most  in 
demand,  yet  no  one  appeared  to  be  intoxicated.  Card- 
playing was  to  be  seen  in  almost  every  shop. 

Santa  Maura  is  a mass  of  mountains  about  thirty 
miles  long  and  twelve  broad,  separated  from  the  conti- 
nent by  a narrow  channel,  which  history  attributes  (as 
has  already  been  intimated)  to  the  enterprise  of  the 
Corinthians.  Oil  and  wine  are  the  chief  productions. 
Here  was  the  se^PoT  a rebellion  a few  years  since,  from 
which  the  government  took  occasion  to  disarm  the  in- 
habitants of  all  the  islands.  Since  that  time  robberies 
and  assassinations  have  been  few,  and  tranquillity,  if  not 
contentment,  has  pervaded  the  islands. 

The  boat  got  under  way  at  two  in  the  morning,  and 
at  day-light  we  were  opposite  the  promontory  on  the 
south  of  the  island,  called  “Sappho’s  Leap,”  where  that 
unhappy  woman  is  supposed  to  have  thrown  herself  into 
the  sea.  Ithaca  was  now  in  sight  eastward — 

“the  barren  spot, 

“Where  sad  Penelope  overlook’d  the  wave.” 

By  ten  o’clock  we  had  swept  round  the  western  shore 
of  Cefalonia,  and  entered  the  bay  of  Lixuri,  which 
penetrates  the  island  from  the  southwest.  The  town  of 
Lixuri  lies  on  the  western  shore,  and  when  opposite 
that,  the  harbor  of  Argostoli  opens  to  the  southeast  be- 
tween two  ridges.  No  harbor  can  be  better  protected 
from  the  sea.  Beneath  the  ridge  on  the  right  lies  the 
town  of  Argostoli,  the  capital  of  the  island;  more  mod- 
ern in  its  appearance  than  Lixuri,  but  not  quite  as  large.b 


(a)  An  intoxicating  liquor. 

(b)  Neither  contains  6,000  inhabitants.  In  the  island  are  140  villages. 


SCHOOL  FOR  FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


187 


Our  English  friend,  Mr.  Smithson,  took  us  to  Lixuri, 
and  introduced  us  to  a number  of  his  Greek  acquaint- 
ances, who  impressed  us  very  favorably  by  their  hospi- 
tality and  the  seriousness  of  their  deportment  and  conver- 
sation. The  town  house  is  the  most  beautiful  edifice  we 
saw  in  the  Ionian  Islands,  excepting  the  palace  at  Corfu. 
Sixty  Doric  pillars  of  white  native  freestone  surround  the 
edifice,  and  support  a terrace  which  commands  a view  of 
the  bay  and  sea.  A justice’s  court  was  sitting  within, 
and  a young  Greek  lawyer  was  pleading  with  character- 
istic and  wonderful  fluency  and  animation.  Here,  as 
well  as  at  Argostoli,  is  a model  school  for  mutual  in- 
struction, containing  70  pupils.  There  is  also  a private 
Lancasterian  school,  at  which  the  parents  pay  a greater 
sum  for  the  instruction  of  their  children,  than  is  required 
at  the  government  schools,  and  in  this  the  Scriptures 
are  used. 

Cefalonia  in  ancient  times  received  occasionally  the 
name  of  Tetrapolis,  from  the  four  principal  cities  of  the 
island — Samos,  Pali,  Pronos,  and  Cranium.  The  last 
of  these  covered  a hill  at  the  head  of  the  harbor  of 
Argostoli,  and  the  entire  circuit  of  its  walls  may  still  be 
traced.  They  are  Cyclopean,  and  belong  to  a very 
early  period  of  society. 

On  one  occasion  we  ascended  the  valley  that  runs  up 
from  the  head  of  the  harbor,  west  of  the  deserted  site 
of  Cranium,  and  prolonged  our  walk  to  the  convent  of 
St.  Andrew,  five  miles  from  town.  The  road  was  of 
the  best  description.  The  low  ground  around  the  har- 
bor had  been  drained  and  converted  into  vineyards.  A 
cultivated  slope  rose  on  our  right,  at  the  foot  of  which 
white  country  seats  peered  out  from  among  garden  trees 
with  pretty  effect,  especially  on  our  return  in  the  eve- 
ning twilight.  Leaving  the  valley,  and  passing  beneath 
a pointed  hill  surmounted  by  an  old  castle,  we  reached 
the  convent,  where  we  were  affectionately  welcomed  by 
the  Rev.  George  Dickson  and  his  amiable  lady.  These 
persons  are  natives  of  Scotland,  belong  to  the  Baptist 
denomination,  and,  though  unconnected  with  any  mis- 


188 


EXCURSION  ACROSS  THE  ISLAND* 


sionary  society,  came  out  mainly  with  the  design  of 
improving  the  religious  character  of  the  Greeks,  through 
the  medium  of  female  schools.  The  government  gave 
them  the  use  of  the  convent,  which,  after  supporting 
seven  or  eight  nuns,  is  worth  about  100  pounds  sterling 
a year.  This  enables  them  to  board  and  instruct  girls 
at  a charge  to  each  of  only  three  dollars  a month.  The 
school  had  been  in  operation  but  a few  months,  and 
contained  twelve  pupils,  two  of  whom  were  English  and 
four  others  had  English  fathers  and  Greek  mothers. 
They  are  taught  the  elementary  branches,  with  the  En- 
glish language.  The  New  Testament  is  used  as  a 
school-book,  but  all  other  books  of  a religious  nature  are 
excluded  by  an  order  from  the  government.  The  school 
has  a strong  prejudice  to  contend  with  among  the 
Greeks  against  female  education.  The  same  objection 
is  made  to  it  in  Cefalonia,  that  is  common  in  other  parts 
of  the  Levant — that  it  will  lead  young  females  into  an 
improper  correspondence  with  the  other  sex;  and  the 
stress  which  is  put  upon  this,  indicates  a low  state  of 
morals. 

At  an  early  hour  of  March  27th,  four  small  working 
mules  were  .waiting  at  our  gate  to  take  us,  our  friend 
Mr.  Robertson,  and  our  interpreter,  to  the  place  on  the 
northeastern  shore,  from  whence  we  should  cross  over 
to  Ithaca.  They  wTere  procured  for  us  by  the  kindness 
of  captain  Coulthurst,  an  English  gentleman  at  the 
head  of  the  police  in  this  island,  whose  attentions  re- 
quire a particular  acknowledgment. 

Having  crossed  the  harbor,  we  ascended  a ridge  of 
mountains,  which  traverses  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
island  in  front  of  Argostoli,  and  terminates  towards  the 
southeast  in  a peak  4,000  or  5,000  feet  high. c After 
riding  two  hours  and  a half,  we  found  ourselves  envel- 
oped in  clouds,  which,  rushing  by  with  the  speed  of  the 
wind,  told  us  of  the  height  we  had  reached.  The  cold 

(c)  'Phis  is  now  called  Mauro  Bouno,  or  Black  Mountain.  Its  classic 
name  was  JEnos,  and  from  it  Jupiter  derived  one  of  his  epithets.  It  forms 
the  most  prominent  feature  of  the  island,  and  is  visible  from  many  parts 
of  Greece. 


EXCURSION  ACROSS  THE  ISLAND. 


189 


now  became  so  sensible,  that  we  were  glad  to  wrap  our 
cloaks  closely  about  us.  Our  prospect,  too,  was  cir- 
cumscribed by  the  dense  vapor,  except  that  once  on 
the  highest  point  of  the  road  the  clouds  broke  suddenly 
away,  and  shewed  the  green  fields  of  the  valley  smiling 
far  below  us  in  the  sunshine.  Hitherto  the  sides  of  the 
mountain  had  been  occupied  by  vineyards.  The  peas- 
ants were  drawing  the  soil  away  from  the  vines,  which 
had  been  cut  off  near  the  ground  and  nearly  covered,  as 
a precaution  against  the  frost.  The  ground  is  not  terrac- 
ed, being  so  mixed  with  stones  as  not  to  be  washed  down 
by  the  rains.  Thus  the  whole  cultivated  surface  is  ex- 
posed to  the  view  of  the  spectator  from  below,  and  the 
sides  of  the  mountain  at  this  season  when  some  vineyards 
are  newly  hoed  and  others  not,  present  a chequered  and 
singular  appearance.  The  road  was  of  the  same 
construction,  which  I have  had  repeated  occasion  to 
notice.  For  twelve  miles  it  was  excellent  for  mules,  and 
much  of  it  good  even  for  carriages. 

Near  the  eighth  mile  stone  we  reached  the  highest 
part  of  the  road.  Here  the  cold  is  too  great  for  the 
vine,  snow  often  falling  deep  in  winter:  it  was  now  to 
be  seen  on  the  north  side  of  Mauro  Bouno.  The  moun- 
tain tops  are  rude  and  broken,  and  devoted  in  summer 
to  the  pasturage  of  sheep  and  goats,  with  here  and  there 
a spot  where  barley  or  oats  are  sown  in  April.  In  the  val- 
leys they  are  sown  in  October.  Descending  we  came  to 
the  house  of  a Suliote  connected  with  the  police,  where 
we  obtained  some  refreshment.  Then  leaving  the  road 
we  entered  the  dry  bed  of  a torrent,  which  we  followed 
among  barren  hills  till  we  came  near  the  sea  and  the 
little  village  of  Pilaro,  called  also  St.  Euphemia,  distant 
from  Argostoli  about  eighteen  miles. 

Pilaro  is  the  only  place  in  this  part  of  the  island 
where  boats,  coming  from  Ithaca  or  elsewhere,  are 
allowed  terland,  so  that  it  is  provided  with  the  guardians 
of  health,  police,  and  revenue,  that  are  usual  in  ports  of 
entry.  It  lies  on  the  northwest  part  of  the  bay  of  Samos. 
The  ancient  Samos  was  a Corinthian  colony,  once  the 


190 


REMARKS  UPON  THE  ISLAND. 


largest  city  in  the  island,  and  mentioned  in  history  on 
account  of  its  obstinate  resistance  to  the  Romans  nearly 
two  centuries  before  the  Christian  era.  Its  site  is  on 
the  southern  side  of  the  bay.  Its  ruins  are  said  to  be 
extensive,  and  the  valley  in  which  it  stood  to  be  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  on  the  island. 

Here  I will  complete  the  remarks  I have  to  make 
on  the  island  of  Cefalonia.  We  had  a good  view  of  it 
from  all  the  four  cardinal  points,  and  from  every  point 
it  appeared  extremely  mountainous.  But  its  inhabitants 
are  more  industrious  than  the  olive-cultivators  of  Corfu, 
and  numerous  fertile  valleys  and  water-courses  run  down 
upon  its  hundred  miles  of  sea-coast.  Its  vineyards,  too, 
ascend  the  mountains.  In  1812  Cefalonia  produced 
five  or  six  millions  of  pounds  of  currants,  besides  large 
quantities  of  oil,  wine,  lemons,  cotton,  oats,  and  honey. 
There  are  more  vessels  belonging  to  this  island,  than  to 
all  the  others.  The  island  is  also  noted  for  the  number 
of  young  men  it  has  sent  to  the  universities  of  Italy  and 
other  parts  of  Europe.  Medical  men,  natives  of  Cefa- 
lonia, are  scattered  all  over  the  east.  Yet  were  we 
told  that  not  more  than  one-eighth  of  the  inhabitants  can 
read. 

The  only  order  of  nobility  in  this  and  the  other  isl- 
ands, is  that  of  Count.  It  is  of  Venetian  origin/  The 
title  descends  to  all  the  male  children  of  the  family,  and 
is  therefore  becoming  every  day  more  common.  It  is 
much  valued  by  the  possessors,  who  observe  an  air  of 
superiority  towards  the  untitled  multitude.  They  re- 
side in  the  towns,  but  are  the  principal  landholders. 

The  wages  of  a common  laborer  are  fifteen  pence 
sterling  a day  without  board,  and  ten  pence  with  it,  five 
pence  being  considered  the  cost  of  one  day’s  provisions. 
Of  course  a man  can  earn  enough  in  one  day  to  support 
him  three;  yet  the  people  are  not  indolent.  The  most 
common  misdemeanors  are  trespass,  and  goat  and  sheep 
stealing.  Drunkenness  is  not  a common  vice,  and  only 


(d)  There  is  a Baron  at  Corfu,  created  such  by  the  French, 


TREATMENT  RECEIVED  FROM  PRIESTS.  191 

one  murder  has  been  known  in  the  island  for  nine  years. 
Those,  who  have  looked  into  the  domestic  life  of  the 
people,  do  not  speak  favorably  of  the  happiness  there 
enjoyed.  And  when  the  wife  and  mother  is  degraded 
from  her  proper  rank,  neglected  by  her  husband,  and 
not  respected  by  her  sons,  how  can  that  happiness  exist, 
of  which  she,  in  her  proper  sphere,  was  designed  by  the 
Creator  to  be  the  principal  instrument? 

We  experienced  a distant  reserve  on  the  part  of  the 
Greek  clergy  of  Argostoli,  such  as  we  found  no- 
where else  in  the  Levant,  resembling  that  of  the  Maltese 
priesthood.  One  of  our  number  was  received  with  so 
much  coldness  by  the  bishop  of  the  island,  that  the  rest 
thought  it  not  advisable  to  call  upon  him;  and  during 
the  latter  part  of  our  stay  no  priest  would  take  any  no- 
tice of  us.  This  we  supposed  to  be  in  consequence  of 
an  order  from  the  bishop.  Yet  we  had  circulated  no 
books,  preached  no  sermons,  made  no  attempts  to  pros- 
elyte. We  had  done  nothing  inconsistent  with  the 
character  of  travellers , in  which  we  visited  the  island. 
It  was  not  till  we  were  about  to  leave  the  island,  that  we 
ascertained  the  cause  of  this.  We  then  learned, 
that  two  little  treatises  had  been  put  in  circulation, 
which  I believe  neither  of  us  had  then  read,  and  which 
we  had  no  agency  in  distributing,  and  should  not  think 
of  circulating  among  members  of  the  Greek  church. 
They  had  excited  much  feeling,  and  we,  merely  as 
Protestant  clergymen,  were  consequently  regarded  with 
aversion.  These  facts,  however,  added  essentially  to 
our  stock  of  information  and  experience,  especially  in 
relation  to  the  proper  conduct  of  the  press,  and  it  is  by 
way  of  caution  they  are  here  recorded.  The  publica- 
tions, which  at  present  are  most  likely  to  be  useful  to 
the  Greeks,  are  such  as  illustrate  in  a scriptural  manner 
the  vital  principles  of  religion,  and  have  as  little  as  pos- 
sible to  say  with  respect  to  her  outworks  and  circum- 
stantials. In  the  midst  of  this  excitement  of  the  priests, 
we  were  introduced  to  several  educated  lay-inhabitants  of 
the  island,  who  treated  us  with  much  politeness.  Had 


192 


ISLAND  OF  ITHACA. 


we  remained  longer  at  Argostoli,  we  should  soon  have 
looked  around  on  a respectable  circle  of  Greek  ac- 
quaintances. 

We  were  an  hour  and  a half  in  the  passage  from  Pi- 
laro  to  Ithaca.  This  celebrated  island  is  fifteen  miles 
long,  in  no  part  more  than  four  broad,  and  almost  di- 
vided into  two  by  Port  Molo,  a deep  harbor  setting  in 
from  the  east.  At  the  head  of  this  is  mount  Aeto,  on 
which  Ulysses  is  supposed  to  have  had  his  citadel.  On 
the  north  side  rises  mount  Neritos  to  the  clouds,  and  on 
the  south  mount  Stephanos,  probably  the  ancient  Neios. 
These  three  mountains  (the  first  may  be  called  a hill) 
compose  the  island.  Crossing  the  high'  isthmus  con- 
necting Aeto  with  Stephanos,  we  took  the  road  lately 
cut  with  great  labor  along  the  southern  shore  of  Port 
Molo,  and  leading  to  the  chief  town  of  the  island.  Fol- 
lowing this  we  passed  round  the  little  cove  of  Dexia, 
supposed  to  be  the  Phorcys  of  Homer.  It  is  still  calm 
and  quiet,  but  the  grotto  of  the  Naiads-  is  roofless,  and 
nearly  filled  up  by  the  public  road.  A little  beyond 
this  cove  we  came  in  sight  of  the  town  of  Bathi,  at  the 
head  of  another  and  deeper  branch  of  the  great  harbor. 
Conical  hills  rose  on  the  east  and  south  surmounted  by 
windmills,  the  tall  cliffs  of  Stephanos  hung  almost  over 
the  town  on  the  west,  and  the  harbor  resembled  a little 
mountain  lake. 

In  Cefalonia  the  only  inn  we  found  was  insuffera- 
ble; but  in  Ithaca  there  was  none  at  all.  So  we  were 
obliged  to  throw  ourselves  upon  the  hospitality  of  the 
people,  and  a room  was  accordingly  provided  for  us  by 
Draculis,  the  intendant  of  police,  which  he  kindly  fur- 
nished with  beds,  chairs,  and  a table. 

We  arrived  on  Friday.  The  next  day,  after  visit- 
ing the  schools,  and  calling  on  the  Resident,  Maj.  Par- 
sons, we  walked  out  to  the  Fountain  of  Arethusa,  at  the 
southeast  part  of  the  island.  The  road  led  through  an 
irregular,  fertile  valley,  enriched  with  the  vine,  and  the 
only  cultivated  spot  we  saw  on  the  island.  Leaving  the 
road  we  followed  a rough  footpath  over  barren  hills, 


FOUNTAIN  OF  ARETHUSA-— GREEK.  SOCIETY.  193 

and  missing  our  way  became  excessively  fatigued. 
However,  the  singular  beauty  in  the  midst  of  which  we 
found  the  object  of  our  search,  was  an  ample  compensa- 
tion for  our  toils.  The  fountain  is  in  the  bed  of  a wild 
ravine,  nearly  midway  between  a lofty  perpendicular  rock 
and  the  sea.  The  rock  is  supposed  to  be  the  Corax  of 
Homer.  The  fountain  itself  is  formed  by  the  dripping 
of  water  from  the  roof  of  a little  mossy  grotto  in  a low 
ledge  overgrown  with  wild  vines.  Sitting  down  by  the 
pure  waters,  we  looked  out  upon  the  smooth  and  tran- 
quil sea,  and  upon  the  coasts  and  mountains  of  Greece, 
and  for  once  felt  something  like  classical  enthusiasm. 

The  evening  passed  pleasantly  and  usefully  in  a little 
Greek  circle  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Maniakes,  one  of 
those  whom  Lord  Guilford  educated  in  England,  and 
principal  of  the  classical  school  lately  established  in  the 
place.  The  company  was  composed  of  Dr.  Mani- 
akes, his  wife  and  four  or  five  other  Greek  ladies, 
a Greek  gentleman  from  Patmos,  another  who  repre- 
sented the  island  in  the  Ionian  Parliament,  and  two 
English  officers.  The  wife  of  Dr.  M.  formerly  taught 
the  female  school  established  in  the  island,  some  years 
since,  by  the  excellent  Doct.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy,  but 
now  discontinued;  and  the  ladies  were  probably  those 
of  whom  Mrs.  K.  makes  such  interesting  mention  in  her 
letters.  The  females  spoke  only  Greek.  Many  and 
curious  questions  were  asked  respecting  a country  so 
distant  and  unknown  as  America.  Dr.  M.  seemed 
anxious  to  see  his  nation  enjoying  the  blessings  of  a gen- 
eral and  enlightened  education.  He  is  a member  of 
the  Ionian  Bible  Society. 

Dionysius  Caravias,  bishop  of  the  island,  upon  whom 
we  called  with  Dr.  Maniakes  the  next  day,  is  a native 
of  Ithaca,  was  educated  at  Smyrna,  and  is  reputed  to 
be  the  most  learned  prelate  of  the  Seven  Islands.  He 
received  us  courteously,  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in 
giving  us  information,  and  with  great  agility  brought 
forth  a number  of  books  from  his  library  that  treated 
upon  the  particular  subjects  of  which  we  were  speak- 
17 


194 


CASTLE  OF  ULYSSES. 


ing.  He  admitted  the  general  ignorance  of  the  Greek 
clergy,  and  that  preaching  is  very  rare;  but  said  their 
clergy  were  anciently  required  to  preach  every  Sabbath. 
He  himself  preached  nearly  every  Sabbath  morning 
through  the  year,  and  he  thought  the  practice  of  preach- 
ing would  become  genera]  in  the  Greek  church,  when- 
ever the  blessings  of  education  should  be  diffused  among 
the  priesthood. 

At  4 o’clock  in  the  morning  of  March  30th,  we  were 
sailing  down  the  harbor  of  Bathi,  and  in  three-fourths 
of  an  hour  landed  at  the  head  of  Port  Molo  and  the 
foot  of  Aeto.  In  an  hour  more  we  were  at  the  top  of 
the  hill,  and  among  the  ruins  of  Ulysses’s  castle.  There 
are  two  or  three  cisterns,  and  the  remains  of  walls  of 
polygonal  masonry.  Poor  Penelope  had  a wide  prospect, 
if  it  was  from  this  spot  she  looked  for  the  return  of  her 
long  absent  husband.  The  approaches  by  sea  are  all 
open  to  view. 

When  we  had  descended  to  the  ferry,  the  wind  was 
contrary  and  strong,  and  the  boatmen  refused  to  pro- 
ceed. Hoping  it  would  change,  or  that  the  boatmen 
would  acquire  courage,  and  being  anxious  to  reach  Ar- 
gostoli  in  time  to  secure  a passage  to  Zante  in  the 
steamboat,  we  thought  it  not  best  to  cast  ourselves  again 
upon  the  hospitality  of  our  friends  in  town,  and  so  looked 
about  for  a shelter  from  the  threatening  storm.  The 
only  one  we  found  was  an  uninhabited  house  in  the 
gorge  of  the  mountain,  and  of  this  we  took  possession, 
and  sent  our  interpreter  for  provisions.  The  principal 
apartment  was  used  for  a wine-press,  and  was  partly 
filled  with  props  for  the  vines,  as  were  the  two  small 
rooms  adjoining.  The  whole  had  occasionally  given 
shelter  to  a flock  of  goats  that  fed  on  the  mountains 
above.  Here  we  remained  two  days  and  two  nights, 
living  principally  on  goats’  milk  and  coarse  bread,  cov- 
ered by  our  cloaks  at  night,  and  sleeping  on  bundles  of 
sticks,  which  we  preferred  to  the  floor,  not  because 
they  were  softer,  but  because  they  were  cleaner.  The 
boatmen  were  civil  fellows,  and  told  stories  to  Pano  till 


POLICE  REGULATIONS. 


195 


a late  hour  at  night,  while  the  storm  raged  furiously 
without.  It  would  have  been  easy,  however,  for  them 
to  have  landed  us  almost  any  time  north  of  Pilaro;  but 
this  their  “ship-papers”  would  not  allow,  nor  could  we 
lawfully  cross  in  any  boat  but  theirs.  For  it  is  true  of 
the  Ionian  Islands,  not  less  than  of  those  in  the  iEgean, 
that  even  the  smallest  boat  leaving  one  island  for  anoth- 
er, must  have  her  papers  made  out,  and  the  names  of 
all  passengers  inserted,  with  nearly  the  same  formality 
as  a ship  going  to  sea;  and  on  her  arrival  must  present 
her  papers  and  passengers  to  the  proper  authorities;  nor 
can  she  land  at  any  other  than  a licensed  port  of  entry. 
These  regulations  are  designed  to  protect  the  revenue 
and  quarantine.  We  aimed  to  conform  exactly  to  the 
laws.  On  leaving  Argostoli  we  took  a passport  from 
the  police  office;  at  Pilaro,  papers  were  made  out  by 
the  deputy,  in  which  our  names  were  inserted;  on 
reaching  Ithaca,  we  reported  ourselves  first  at  the 
health,  then  at  the  police  office;  on  leaving  it,  our  boat- 
men took  new  papers  containing  our  names;  these,  after 
waiting  two  days  at  the  ferry,  they  had  to  get  renewed; 
at  Pilaro,  where  we  arrived  on  Wednesday,  April  1st, 
they  presented  the  papers  and  us  to  the  deputy;  and 
from  him  again  we  took  papers  for  Argostoli.  But, 
notwithstanding  all  our  care,  we  violated  a law  of  the 
post-office.  A friend  at  Corfu  gave  us  open  letters  of 
introduction  for  Cefalonia,  and  through  ignorance  we 
neglected  to  pass  them  through  the  post-office  of  the  for- 
mer island.  Meaning  to  be  correct,  we  presented  them  at 
the  post-office  of  Argostoli  immediately  on  our  arrival, 
and  there  found  we  had  incurred  a liability  to  a consider- 
able fine.  On  appealing,  however,  to  the  Resident,  col. 
Napier,  he  politely  excused  our  inadvertence. 

The  Ithacians  are  said  to  be  more  industrious  than 
any  of  the  other  islanders.  This  is  perhaps  owing  to 
the  barren  nature  of  their  soil.  Probably  from  the 
same  cause,  as  well  as  from  the  excellency  of  their 
harbor,  they  are  attached  to  a seafaring  life,  though  we 
did  not  learn  that  they  own  many  vessels.  The  Resi- 


196 


ISLAND  AND  CITY  OF  ZANTE. 


dent  said,  that  one-third  of  the  inhabitants  are  seamen, 
and  formerly  traded  in  the  Black  Sea,  from  whence  they 
derived  most  of  their  grain.  What  is  raised  on  the  island 
suffices  for  only  a quarter  part  of  the  year,  and  the 
interruption  of  that  trade  by  the  war  had  occasioned  so 
much  distress,  that  the  government  had  been  obliged  to 
loan  the  people  grain.  We  observed  that  our  interpre- 
ter, himself  an  Ithacian,  found  some  of  his  countrymen 
in  almost  every  part  of  Greece  which  we  visited. 

We  were  detained  in  Cefalonia  ten  days  after  we 
were  in  readiness  to  leave  the  island,  not  being  able  to 
procure  a passage  to  Zante  before  the  1 1th  of  April: 
we  then  went  in  the  steamboat.  Mr.  Croggan,  who 
has  been  some  time  Wesleyan  missionary  on  the  island, 
was  then  absent  on  a special  agency  to  Alexandria  in 
Egypt;  but  his  wife,  a very  worthy  woman,  received  us 
with  great  kindness,  and  his  associate  in  the  mission, 
Dr.  Bialloblotzky,  recently  from  Germany,  showed  us 
many  attentions.  Here  we  found  letters  from  home. 

The  city  of  Zante  is  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  island, 
and  though  its  harbor  is  open  to  the  winds  from  the 
east  and  northeast,  it  is  a place  of  considerable  trade, 
and  rather  distinguished  among  the  other  Ionian  cities 
for  its  wealth.  It  is  superior  to  Corfu  in  general  ap- 
pearance and  in  the  structure  of  its  houses,  and  little  in- 
ferior in  the  number  of  its  inhabitants.6  Though  more 
subject  to  earthquakes  than  other  places  under  the 
Ionian  government,  its  houses  are  higher  than  else- 
where, and  bear  fewer  marks  of  injury  from  this  cause. 
The  lightness  of  these  shocks,  and  the  fact  that  they 
rarely  occur  in  two  islands  at  the  same  time,  have  been 
considered  by  some  as  proof  that  they  are  owing  to 
some  local  cause  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  per- 
haps in  the  very  soil/  The  city  lies  along  the  shore, 


(e)  They  amounted,  in  1819,  to  15,176.  Goodisson. 

(f ) I do  not  know  the  number  of  shocks  that  have  been  felt  at  Zante, 
in  any  one  year.  But  in  Cefalonia  there  were  eight  in  1819,  and  twenty- 
two  in  1820.  In  Santa  Maura  there  were  seven  in  1819.  In  1819  and 
1820  but  one  was  noticed  in  Corfu. — Goodisson. 


CONDITION  OF  FEMALES. 


197 


and  extends  a short  distance  up  a high  hill,  which  rises 
behind  it,  and  is  crowned  with  an  imposing  fortress. 
A striking  feature  in  the  houses  is  the  lattices,  or  jeal- 
ousies as  they  are  sometimes  called,  in  many  of  the  win- 
dows. They  are  a sort  of  box  of  lattice-work,  with  the 
lower  part  protruding  outward,  so  that  a woman  can 
see  everything  that  is  going  on  in  the  street,  without  be- 
ing at  all  discovered.5 

The  women  of  Zante  are  more  closely  confined  than 
those  of  the  other  Ionian  Islands,  the  more  respectable 
of  them  hardly  ever  appearing  in  the  streets.  At 
Corfu  females  have  an  extraordinary  degree  of  free- 
dom, owing  originally  to  the  influence  of  the  French; 
though  a conclusion  itrnst  not  thence  be  drawn,  I fear, 
in  favor  of  the  morals  of  that  city.  When  Typaldos 
preached,  we  even  saw  females  of  the  higher  ranks 
seated  unveiled  in  the  main  body  of  the  church.  But 
in  most  Greek  churches  that  have  fallen  under  our  ob- 
servation, the  females  are  concealed  from  the  male  part 
of  the  congregation  by  a latticed  partition.11  The 
Ionian  Greek  betroths  his  children  at  a very  early  age, 
and  aims  to  marry  his  daughter  while  she  is  quite 
young.  Till  then  he  keeps  her  as  secluded  from 
society  as  possible.  A Greeks*  of  Cefalonia  invited  a 
friend  of  ours  to  the  marriage  of  his  daughter,  and  told 
him,  as  an  important  circumstance  in  her  case,  that  she 
had  never  seen  the  face  of  man.  The  education  of 
daughters  seldom  enters  into  the  plans  of  the  father. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickson  had  not  heard  of  any  female  in 
the  lower  classes  of  society  who  could  read.  With 


(g)  They  remind  one  of  the  following'  passage  in  the  song  of  Deborah. 
“The  mother  of  Sisera  looked  out  at  a window',  and  cried  through  the 
lattice Judges  v.  28. 

(h)  No  inference  must  be  drawn  from  this  fact  to  the  prejudice  of  the 
modern  Greek  females.  It  is  one  of  the  customs  that  have  come  down 
from  ancient  times.  Prfforont  .pi  ones -were  vrvv  r./icl v.  nnr,ifrned_tr.— mpn 


a^d  wrnmen,  in.  Greek "i.rhuielie»> 


17* 


198 


REMARKS  UPON  THE  ISLAND# 


few  exceptions,  the  female  mind , throughout  the  Ionian 
republic,  is  limited  to  the  most  trifling  common-place 
attainments;  and  we  often  met  bare-footed,  sun-burnt 
women  in  the  field  or  road,  with  tattered  robes  and 
bundles  of  wood  or  other  burdens  on  their  heads,  while 
their  husbands  or  brothers  walked  empty-handed  by 
their  side. 

The  island  of  Zante  is  about  60  miles  in  circum- 
ference, and  consists  of  a low,  even,  and  fertile  plain, 
surrounded  on  all  sides,  except  the  southeast,  by 
high  hills,  which  form  the  coast.  This  plain  we 
crossed  the  day  after  our  arrival,  on  a broad  and 
admirable  road.  Our  ride  terminated  at  a spring, 
more  remarkable  for  having  been  mentioned  by  Her- 
odotus, than  for  anything  else.  It  is  constantly  send- 
ing up  a small  quantity  of  petroleum,  like  one  I saw 
near  Matanzas  on  the  northern  shore  of  Cuba,  in  1824. 
Barren  calcareous  hills  encircle  it  on  three  sides.  Our 
return  was  in  the  cool  of  the  day.  On  the  seashore 
near  the  spring,  we  had  a distant  view  of  the  snowy 
ridge  of  Taygetus.  Then  entering  the  road  already 
mentioned,  we  leisurely  traversed  the  plain.  The 
whole  surface  was  rich  with  clover,  grain,  currants, 
grapes,  oranges,  and  olives;  and  the  green  fields,  the 
vineyards,  and  olive-groves,  the  tall  cypresses,  the 
white  cottages  and  houses,  the  remoter  heights  around 
the  plain,  the  fortress  rising  before  us,  the  city,  the  sea, 
the  mountainous  shores  of  Greece,  with  the  mild  ves- 
pers of  evening,  and  the  invigorating  influence  of  the 
ride, — all  combined  to  awaken  sensations  of  peculiar 
pleasure. 

From  this  island,  as  was  stated  at  the  commence- 
ment of  chapter  first,  Mr.  Smith  and  myself  went  over 
to  the  Peloponnesus  on  the  1 5th  of  April.  Our  friend 
Mr.  Robertson  we  left  to  be  recovered  from  an  ague 
in  the  face,  with  which  be  had  been  much  afflicted 
since  coming  to  the  iQriian  Islands.  He  afterwards 
performed  a tour  in  peninsular  Greece  and  the  iEgean, 
similar  to  our  own,  and  also  visited  the  northern  shore 
of  the  Corinthian  gulf. 


PART  SECOND. 


CONTAINING  OBSERVATIONS  UPON  THE  TERRITORY,  POPULATION, 
AND  GOVERNMENT  OF  GREECE;  UPON  THE  STATE  AND  PROSPECTS 

of  education;  upon  the  greek  church;  and  upon  the 

MEASURES  TO  BE  PURSUED  BY  PROTESTANTS  FOR  THE  BENEFIT 
OF  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

TERRITORY,  P O P U L A T I O N , A N D GOVERN . 

MENT  OF  GREECE. 

Territory , according  to  the  Protocol  of  Feb.  3,  183ft — Population — Peloponnesus 
compared  with  the  state  of  Massachusetts — Its  ancient  inhabitants  never  as 
many  as  might  have  been  sustained  by  the  products  of  the  soil — 4 much 
greater  number  may  be  sustained  now,  than  could  have  been  in  ancient 
times—  Government — Manner  of  its  first  organization  under  the  Presidency  of 
Capo  d’Tstrias — Particular  acts — Mode  of  collecting  the  tithes — Demogerontes 
and  Extraordinary  Commissioners — Judiciary — Proceedings  in  relation  to  the 
fourth  national  Congress — Contemplated  revision  of  the  Constitution. 

The  northern  boundary  of  Greece,  as  determined  by 
the  Protocol  of  Feb.  3,  1830,  commences  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Aspropotamos,  (the  ancient  Achelous,)  and 
runs  up  the  southeastern  bank  of  that  river  as  far 
as  Angelo-Castron.  From  thence  it  passes  through  the 
middle  of  the  lakes  Sacarovista  and  Vrachori  to  mount 
Artoleria,  thence  to  mount  Axiros,  and  thence  along  the 
valley  of  Calouri,  and  the  top  of  mount  CEta,  to  the  gulf 
of  Zetoun.  Acarnania,  the  greater  part  of  Etolia,  and 
Thessaly,  are  thus  excluded,  and  a Turkish  barrier  is 
interposed  between  continental  Greece  and  the  Ionian 
Islands.  But  Locris,  Phocis,  Boeotia,  Attica,  and  the 
important  island  of  Euboea,  belong  to  the  Grecian  com- 
monwealth. Marathon,  Athens,  and  Mesolongi,  are  in 


200 


POPULATION  OF  GREECE. 


Greece.  The  straits  of  Thermopylae  are  on  the  fron- 
tier. The  Peloponnesus  is,  of  course,  a part  of  the 
nation;  and  so  are  the  Western  Sporades  and  the  Cy- 
clades. But  the  islands  of  Candia,  Calymnos,  Patmos, 
Icaria,  Samos,  Chios  or  Scio,  Psarra,  and  some  others 
less  important  in  their  neighborhood,  are  not  assigned  to 
Greece. 

The  Peloponnesus  contains  about  280,000  inhabit- 
ants^ the  islands  about  175,000,  and  continental 
Greece,  including  Acarnania  and  Etolia,  about  180,000;b 
— in  all,  635,000  souls. 

The  territory  of  the  Peloponnesus,  according  to 
Make  Brun,  is  not  quite  as  large  as  that  of  the  state  of 
Massachusetts.6  Taking  into  view  the  different  modes 
of  living  in  the  two  countries,  their  respective  products 
might  support  the  same  number  of  people — perhaps  a 
million.  There  is,  indeed,  no  good  reason  to  believe, 
that  the  Peloponnesus  ever  contained  that  number  of  in- 
habitants, not  in  the  most  splendid  periods  of  Grecian 
history — the  extravagant  statements  of  some  ancient 
writers  on  this  subject,  having  been  disproved  in  modern 


(a)  Soutzo,  the  Greek  historian,  estimates  the  population  of  the  Morea 
before  the  revolution,  at  460,000,  occupying  965  towns  and  villages.  He 
reckons  the  Turkish  population  at  50,000.  The  Turks  were  represented 
to  us,  on  respectable  Greek  authority,  at  80,000.  These  of  course  have 
been  destroyed,  or  driven  from  the  country.  Many  Greeks  have  also 
perished  by  the  sword,  or  by  famine  and  disease.  At  any  rate,  the  pre- 
sent number  is  not  believed  to  be  greater  thanks  stated  above.— M.  Pou- 
queville  says  there  were  1,422  villages.  He  must  have  counted  every 
hamlet. 

(b)  This  is  the  estimate  made  by  Count  Guilleminot  after  considerable 
inquiry.  The  President  Capo  d’Istrias,  in  his  correspondence  with  Prince 
Leopold,  states  the  Greek  population  of  Acarnania  and  Etolia  at  80,000 
or  100,000.  It  is  a pity  that  these  two  provinces  should  have  been  exclud- 
ed from  the  benefits  of  the  revolution,  when  two- thirds  of  the  soldiers  in 
the  Greek  army  belong  to  them,  and  when  their  inhabitants  contributed 
more  than  any  other  two  provinces  to  the  success  of  the  struggle,  and  had 
been  less  completely  subjected  to  the  Turkish  rule  than  those  of  the  other 
parts  of  Greece— Mane  perhaps  excepted. 

(c)  The  area  of  Massachusetts  is  about  7,500  square  miles.  That  of 
the  Peloponnesus,  according  to  Malte  Brun,  is  7,227  square  miles.  The 
length  and  breadth  of  the  peninsula,  according  to  Strabo,  are  equal,  and 
each  about  160  miles.  He  compares  its  shape  to  the  leaf  of  the  plane 
tree.  From  its  Italian  name  Morea,  it  would  seem,  in  modern  times,  to 
have  been  likened  to  the  leaf  of  the  mulberry  tree. 


ANCIENT  POPULATION. 


201 


times.d  The  inhabitants  of  peninsular  Greece  may  have 
been  about  as  numerous  in  the  ages  of  antiquity,  as  those 
of  all  the  territory  of  modern  Greece  now  are.  The 
Peloponnesus  had  then  scarcely  any  commerce.  The 
people  lived  on  the  produce  of  their  own  soil;  and  nei- 
ther their  wars,  nor  their  migrations,  are  believed  to  have 
been  owing  either  to  want  of  room,  or  of  food.  We  are 
to  consider,  also,  how  imperfect  and  partially  extended 
must  have  been  the  agriculture  of  those  times.  The 
Greeks  thought  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  an  employ- 
ment unbecoming  the  dignity  of  freemen, e and  commit- 
ted it  almost  entirely  to  their  slaves.  Xenophon  said, 
that  every  man  might  be  a farmer,  as  neither  art,  nor 
skill  was  necessary;  but  would  he  have  thought  so,  if 
the  agriculture  of  his  times  exhibited  either? f And  when 
we  consider  the  piracies,  which  harassed  the  shores— 
the  maraudings,  which  disturbed  the  interior — the  inva- 
sions, which  so  often  desolated  whole  districts — the  se- 
vere, bloody,  and  destructive  maxims,  which  regulated 
the  wars  recorded  on  almost  every  page  of  Grecian  his- 
tory— the  frequent  revolutions  in  several  of  the  govern- 
ments, which  were  followed  by  proscriptions,  banish- 
ments, confiscations,  and  massacres  - — and  the  great  un- 
certainty, which  existed  almost  everywhere,  whether  he 


(d)  See  Hume’s  Essay  on  the  Populousness  of  Ancient  Nations.  The 
other  authoriti^  for  the  ^statements  here  made  respecting  peninsular 
Greece  of  ancient  times,  Milford’s  History  of  Greece,  and  thcLmwof 
Population  ai*JU— T— Sa.flWT  iroJ_i . Some  of  the  facts  are  these. — Man- 
tinea  contained  but  3,000  citizens,  and  yet  Mantinea  was  as  large  as  Me- 
galopolis, or  any  other  city  of  Arcadia.  Pausanias  says,  that  all  the  men 
in  Achaia  able  to  bear  arms,  did  not  amount  to  15,000.  Thucydides  says, 
that  the  parts  adjoining  Pylos  (Navarino)  were  desert  and  uncultivated. 
Thebes  humbled  Sparta;  yet  Thebes  contained,  in  Alexander’s  time,  only 
24,000  citizens  and  12,000  strangers  and  slaves.  Aristotle  says,  that  the 
Spartan  territory  did  not  contain,  in  his  day,  a twentieth  part  of  the  inhab- 
itants it  was  capable  of  supplying  with  subsistence.  Hume  reckons  the 
free  Greeks  of  all  ages  and  sexes,  in  the  reign  of  Philip  of  Macedon,  (ex- 
cepting the  Lacedemonians,)  at  860,000,  and  the  slaves  at  4-30,000;  in  all 
1,290,000.  Perhaps  half  of  these  inhabited  the  Peloponnesus. 

(e)  Both  Plato  and  Aristotle  so  declare  it, 

(f)  Xenophon  wrote  most  of  his  works  while  residing  in  the  Pelopon- 
nesus. 

(g)  When  Alexander  ordered  all  the  exiles  to  be  restored  through  the 
cities  of  Greece,  it  was  found  that  the  number  amounted  to  20,000. 


202  present  resources  op  the  country. 

who  sowed  would  be  permitted  to  reap; — we  see,  that 
the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  Peloponnesus  would  be 
likely  to  plant  and  provide  just  so  far  as  their  necessities 
demanded,  and  no  farther.  We  may,  therefore,  conclude, 
that  peninsular  Greece  could  have  supported  many 
more  inhabitants  in  ancient  times,  than  it  actually  did. 
• — Nor  have  we  any  reason  to  suppose,  that  its  natural 
productiveness  has  since  materially  diminished.  We 
find  the  same  rivers,  valleys,  plains,  and  mountains,  that 
were  described  in  ancient  times.  Their  prominent  fea- 
tures, so  far  as  comparison  is  possible,  are  the  same. 
Man  and  his  works  have  perished,  but  nature  is  substan- 
tially unchanged.  And  now,  the  country  is  to  be  view- 
ed in  connection  with  those  advances,  which  human  so- 
ciety has  made  during  the  lapse  of  two  thousand  years. 
Great  have  been  the  improvements  both  in  the  theory 
and  practice  of  civil  governments,  so  that  it  is  scarcely 
possible  that  Greece  should  fail  to  have  a wiser 
and  better  government,  (whatever  may  be  its  form,) 
than  were  most  of  those  possessed  by  the  ancient 
states.  Moreover  the  country  is  no  longer  divided  into 
petty  and  hostile  communities;  and  though  this  may  be 
less  conducive  to  the  formation  of  statesmen,  and  heroes, 
and  to  that  mental  excitement  which  operated  so  pow- 
erfully on  the  genius  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  than  if  there 
were  five  or  six  rival  states;  still  its  influence  on  agri- 
culture, the  useful  arts,  and  commerce,  must  be  great 
and  salutary.  We  are  to  consider,' too,  that  the  present 
cultivators  of  the  soil  are  not  slaves,  as  they  were  in  an- 
cient times,  but  are  freemen;  and  that  they  may  enrich 
their  agriculture,  if  they  please,  with  all  the  improve- 
ments of  modern  days,  and  that  they  have  already  en- 
riched it  by  those  two  prolific  and  farinacious  plants,  the 
maize  and  the  potato,  the  gift  of  the  western  to  the  east- 
ern world.11  And  may  not  the  Greeks  become  a manu- 
facturing and  a commercial  people?  The  Peloponnesus 

(h)  The  -potato  is  not  yet  much  cultivated  in  Greece,  but  a writer  in  the 
government  Gazette  anticipates  great  advantages  from  its  culture  to  all 
the  inhabitants,  and  especially  to  the  poorer  classes. 


GREEK  GOVERNMENT. 


203 


contains  a vast  amount  of  water-power,  and  the  same 
simple  process,  which  irrigates  the  fields,'  may  convert 
the  wool  of  the  Arcadian  flocks  into  cloths. j The  silk 

and  the  cotton  are  both  products  of  its  soil.  Nor  is  the 
Grecian  mariner  any  longer  alarmed  by  the  waves  of 
the  Sunium  and  Malaic  promontories.  He  spreads  the 
sails  of  his  beautiful  barque  to  every  wind,  and  wants 
only  a little  more  education  and  practice  to  venture 
every  sea.  Hydra  and  Psarra  shew,  that  the  Greek  needs 
only  commercial  inducement  and  opportunity.  He  pos- 
sesses excellent  harbors,  and  the  geographical  position  of 
his  country  is  unrivalled;  and  now  that  he  has  escaped 
from  the  chains  of  Turkish  despotism,  his  active  genius 
may  be  expected  to  lead  him  very  far  into  the  great 
system  of  commercial  enterprise. 

It  would  seem,  then,  not  only  that  a greater  number 
of  people  may  now  be  sustained  in  the  Peloponnesus, 
and  in  Greece  at  large,  than  could  have  been  sustained  in 
ancient  times;  but  that  the  bounds  cannot  well  be  set  to 
the  rise  of  that  people  on  the  scale  of  numbers,  of  wealth, 
and  of  power.  Grant  to  the  Greek  people  a wise  and 
paternal  government,  a sound  and  universal  education,  an 
enlightened,  pious,  and  laborious  Christian  ministry,  a 
scriptural  worship,  and  correct  morals  pervading  the 
community;  and  they  will  be  sure  to  command  the  re- 
spect of  mankind. 

It  enters  within  the  design  of  this  work  to  give  some 
account  of  the  existing  government  of  Greece.  I shall 
confine  myself  chiefly  to  a statement  of  facts,  as  they 
appear  in  official  documents  for  the  years  1828  and 
1829. 

J.  A.  Capo  d’Istrias,  on  assuming  the  Presidency  in 
Jan.  1828,  found  ^he  government  administered  by  an 
executive  committee  and  a council.  The  former  ceased 
by  law,  on  his  arrival.  Finding  it  impossible  to  convoke 

(j)  See  p.  99. 

( j)  Two  centuries  have  not  elapsed,  since  England  purchased  nearly 
all  her  woollens  from  Belgium,  and  scarcely  one,  since  she  obtained  her 
eotton  goods  from  Germany. — Say’s  Political  Economy. 


204 


GREEK  GOVERNMENT. 


a national  congress  immediately,  he  proposed  a provis- 
ional government,  which  should  be  based  upon  the  acts 
of  Epidaurus,  Astros,  and  Trcezen,  and  be  composed  of 
men  possessing  the  confidence  of  the  people;  and  that 
the  government  so  organized,  should  hold  itself  account- 
able to  a future  congress,  both  for  its  acts  and  its  exist- 
ence. A plan  was  accordingly  laid  before  the  council, 
of  which  it  approved,  and  then  it  passed  an  act  for  its 
own  dissolution. 

The  government,  as  formed  on  the  plan  proposed  by 
the  President,  consisted  of  a council  of  twenty-seven 
members,  called  the  Panhellenium , with  the  President 
at  its  head.  The  council  was  divided  into  three  de- 
partments, having  charge,  respectively,  of  the  finances, 
interna]  administration,  and  military  affairs,  each  with  its 
proper  officers.  The  appointments  were  all  made  by 
the  President.  Greeks  who  were  not  born  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  liberated  Greece,  were  eligible  to  a seat  in  the 
Panhellenium.  The  meetings  of  this  body  were  to  be 
held  daily,  Sundays  and  the  great  feasts  excepted,  and 
it  might  properly  deliberate  upon  whatever  concerned 
the  welfare  of  the  nation.  The  doings  of  each  day 
were  to  be  stated  verbally  to  the  President,  by  the  chief 
secretaries  of  the  several  departments;  but  it  was  upon 
written  reports  of  its  doings,  made  out  by  the  secreta- 
ries and  subscribed  by  the  chairman  of  the  whole  body 
or  of  one  of  its  departments,  that  the  decrees  of  the 
President  were  to  be  founded. 

Besides  the  secretaries  of  these  three  departments, 
two  other  offices  of  secretary  were  instituted,  under  the 
titles  of  Secretary  of  State,  and  Secretary  for  Foreign 
Affairs.  These  two  secretaries,  with  the  chief  secretaries 
of  the  three  departments  above  mentioned,  and  the  Pres- 
ident as  chairman,  were  a council  for  particular  cases. 

An  ecclesiastical  commission  was  appointed,  and  in- 
structed to  communicate  information  to  the  government 
relative  to  the  state  and  necessities  of  the  church. 

The  members  of  the  new  government  took  the  oaths 
of  their  respective  offices  on  the  7th  of  February  1828. 


GREEK  GOVERNMENT DEMOGERONTES.  205 

To  relieve  the  finances  of  the  state,  a national  bank 
was  instituted  Feb.  14th.  The  army  was  organized  on 
the  18th;  and  about  the  same  time  a law  was  promul- 
ted  regulating  ship’s  papers  in  every  material  respect  ac- 
cording to  European  usage,  and  declaring  under  what 
circumstances  vessels  and  their  crews  would  be  regarded 
and  treated  as  pirates.  Fifteen  days  after  this,  admiral 
Miaules  was  sent  to  the  northern  Sporades  in  search  of 
piratical  vessels  and  boats.  He  seized  forty-one  in  Sco- 
pelos,  thirty-eight  in  Sciathos,  and  others  in  Scyros  and 
Thasos.  Of  these  he  burnt  and  sunk  forty-one,  sent 
twenty-nine  to  iEgina,  and  three  were  lost  by  a violent 
wind.  On  the  16th  of  March,  the  President  ordered  all 
Moslem  prisoners,  that  were  scattered  among  the  Greeks, 
to  be  collected  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  an  exchange 
of  prisoners.  These  were  in  a state  of  slavery;  110  were 
collected,  and  exchanged  at  Mothone  for  172  Greeks. 
In  June,  the  rate  of  interest  was  limited  by  law  to  ten 
per  cent. 

The  tithes  (or  taxes)  are  farmed  out  by  auction  to 
the  highest  bidder — a mode  of  raising  them  to  which 
the  Greeks  appear  to  have  long  been  accustomed.  The 
provinces  and  towns  are  allowed  to  purchase  their  own 
taxes,  through  commissioners  appointed  for  the  purpose. 
Extraordinary  pains  were  taken  at  the  commencement 
of  the  year  1829  to  prevent  abuses  in  the  sales,  and  a 
considerable  increase  of  revenue  was  the  consequence. 
The  revenues  from  January  1,  1828,  to  April  30,  1829, 
were  nearly  570,000  dollars.k 

The  Demogerontes , of  whom  repeated  mention  has 
been  made  in  this  volume,  appear  to  have  belonged  to 
the  old  system  of  government.  The  President  publish- 
ed rules  for  their  election  soon  after  he  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  his  office.  No  person  can  be  a candidate  for 
the  office  of  a demogeron,  unless  he  pays  a “considerable 
sum”  in  taxes,  and  has  attained  the  age  of  35  years 


(k)  They  were  8.539,969  piastres;  not  including-  the  subsidies  from 
France  and  Russia,  appropriations  from  the  private  estate  of  the  Presi* 
dent,&c. 


18 


206 


GREEK  GOVERNMENT JUDICIARY. 


The  list  of  candidates  is  prepared  by  the  extraordinary 
commissioner  of  the  province,  aided  by  the  demoge- 
rontes  whose  terms  of  office  are  about  to  expire.  The 
elections  are  made  by  ballot,  and,  until  the  qualifications 
of  electors  are  determined  by  law,  the  privilege  of  vot- 
ing is  to  be  enjoyed  by  all  citizens  who  have  completed 
their  twenty-fifth  year.  A demogeron  is  chosen  for 
every  hundred  families,  and  the  duties  appertaining  to 
the  office  resemble  those  of  our  town  officers.  In  every 
district,  however,  four  or  five  are  selected  as  the  special 
council  and  agents  of  the  commissioner  of  the  province. 
These  are  called  provincial  demogerontia. 

The  Extraordinary  Commissioners  represent  the 
President  in  the  several  provinces.  They  were  ap- 
pointed for  the  Peloponnesus  and  the  islands,  early  in 
his  administration.  The  greater  part  of  continental  Greece 
was  not  in  a state  to  admit  of  a civil  organization. 

The  law  appointing  a judiciary  is  dated  Dec.  27, 
1828,  but  it  did  not  go  into  effect  for  several  months. 
By  it  one  of  the  demogerontes  in  every  village,  town, 
and  city,  is  constituted  a justice  of  the  peace.  A court 
of  common  pleas  is  also  established  in  each  department, 
or  province,  consisting  of  a president  and  two  assistants, 
to  be  chosen  by  government  from  a nomination  of  five 
made  by  the  provincial  demogerontiae.  At  Syra  a 
commercial  court  has  been  established,  consisting  of  a 
president  and  four  judges;  and  other  similar  courts  are 
promised  in  case  of  necessity.  A court  of  final  appeal  is 
held  at  Argos,  composed  of  a president,  a vice-president, 
seven  judges,  and  a public  attorney.  Trespasses  and 
petty  offences  come  before  the  justices  of  the  peace,  with 
the  right  of  appeal  to  the  common  courts  in  particular 
cases.  Criminal  offences  come  before  the  common 
courts,  with  a rig  lit  of  appeal  to  that  at  Argos.  In  civil 
cases  the  Code  Justinian  is  followed;  in  commercial,  the 
Code  Napoleon.  I do  not  learn  that  there  is  trial  by  jury, 
and  perhaps  the  people  are  not  prepared  for  it;  nor  are 
the  judges  yet  appointed  for  life. 


GREEK  GOVERNMENT FOURTH  CONGRESS.  207 

Some  of  the  proceedings  in  relation  to  the  fourth  Na- 
tional Congress,  which  was  held  at  Argos  in  the  summer 
of  1829,  are  important  in  their  bearing  upon  the  national 
character.1 

The  decree  for  the  convocation  of  this  assembly  wa 
published  March  16,  1829.  The  day  appointed  for ’the 
meeting  of  the  people,  and  also  for  that  of  the  electors 
was  the  first  Sabbath,  that  should  occur  eight  days  after 
the  order  was  received  from  government.  The  place  01 
meeting  was  to  be  the  church.  As  soon  as  mass  was 
ended,  the  officiating  priest  was  required  to  read  with  a 
loud  voice  the  decrees  respecting  the  congress.  Then 
he  must  read  a list  of  the  voters,  and  this  list  must  be 
confirmed  by  the  majority  of  votes  of  the  assembled 
citizens.  All,  except  the  authorized  voters,  now  retire 
from  the  church,  and  the  priest  comes  into  the  midst  of 
the  assembly,  holding  in  his  hand  the  gospel,  upon 
which  they  take  the  oath  given  below,  which  is  read  by 
one  of  the  oldest  persons  present,  and  repeated  by  the 
rest  of  the  citizens,  with  the  right  hand  uplifted.*11  At 
this  first  meeting  a certain  number  of  persons  were  to 
be  chosen,  called  electors,  but  in  fact  a committee  for 
nominating  candidates  for  the  suffrages  of  the  people, 
when  they  should  meet  to  elect  their  representatives. 
These  electors  were  designed  to  operate  as  a check 
upon  the  ignorance  or  thoughtlessness  of  the  multitude. 


(l)  The  1st  Congress  met  at  Argos,  and  afterward  adjourned  to  Epi- 
daurus,  where  they  declared  their  national  Independence,  and  proclaimed 
a Constitution,  January  27,  1822. 

The  2d  Congress  met  at  Astros  in  April  1823. 

The  3d  Congress  met  first  at  Epidaurus,  in  April  1826,  and  again  near 
Troezen,  in  the  spring  of  1827,  where  Capo  dTstrias,  a native  of  Corfu, 
and  many  years  Secretary  of  State  to  the  emperor  of  Russia,  was  elected 
President  of  Greece  for  the  term  of  seven  years. 

(m)  “In  the  name  of  the  most  holy  and  indivisible  Trinity,  I swear  be- 
fore the  altar  of  the  God  of  truth,  that  in  giving  my  vote  I will  not  be  in- 
fluenced by  any  motives  of  friendship  or  hatred,  of  fear  of  loss  or  hope  of 
personal  gain;  but  that  I will  give  it  according  to  my  conscience,  and 
without  any  respect  to  persons.” 

The  reader  will  observe,  that  the  gospel  is  used  in  the  administration  of 
this  solemn  oath,  and  not  the  picture  of  some  saint.  So  far  as  we  know, 
this  is  the  uniform  practice  in  the  administration  of  oaths  by  the  Greek 
government. 


208  GREEK  GOVERNMENT NEW  ORGANIZATION. 

From  the  candidates  proposed  by  the  electors  in  the 
several  districts,  the  people  were  to  choose  the  members 
of  their  national  congress. 

In  this  election,  thirty-eight  of  the  districts,  or  old 
provinces,  elected  the  President  himself  for  their  repre- 
sentative; probably  because  the  people  reposed  more 
confidence  in  him,  than  they  did  in  their  primates,  from 
whom  they  might  not  otherwise  know  how  to  withhold 
their  suffrages.  This  made  it  necessary  to  order  a new 
election.  The  meeting  of  the  congress  was  now  ap- 
pointed at  Argos,  to  be  held  on  the  7th  of  July;  but  it 
was  not  fully  organized  until  the  23d,  when  the  Presi- 
dent delivered  his  message.  The  congress  was  adjourn- 
ed on  the  18th  of  August.  Thirteen  of  the  acts  passed 
at  this  session  have  been  published. 

The  government  was  now  reorganized  under  an  act 
of  the  congress,  the  President  (who  had  been  elected 
for  a period  of  seven  years)  still  remaining  at  its  head. 
The  Panhellenium  was  replaced  by  another  body,  con- 
sisting also  of  twenty-seven  members,  called  the 
Gerousia.n  Twenty-one  of  these  members  were 
chosen  by  the  President  out  of  a list  of  sixty-three  can- 
didates submitted  to  him  by  the  congress:  the  others  he 
elected  at  discretion.  The  senate  gives  its  opinion 
with  regard  to  all  acts  that  are  of  the  nature  of  laws, 
but  has  not  the -power  of  a negative  upon  the  decisions 
of  the  President.  His  decisions  have  equally  the  au- 
thority of  laws,  pro  tempore , whether  the  council  approve 
of  them,  or  not;  but  where  they  refuse  to  concur,  the 
responsibility  to  the  national  assembly  rests  wholly  with 
him.° 

Besides  the  senate,  there  is  a ministry,  divided  into 
four  departments,  each  with  a secretary;  viz.  the  Home 


(n)  TipovrU.  This  word  properly  means  a Senate.  It  is,  however  the 
word  used  in  the  Ionian  Constitution  for  Parliament.  Where  the  word  is 
employed  to  denote  the  representative  body  of  the  nation,  or  national 
legislature,  Americans  would  translate  it  Congress. 

(o)  An  exception  is  made  in  regard  to  the  national  domains  and  the 
other  property  of  the  state.  Nothing  can  be  done  to  affect  them,  without 
the  previous  consent  of  the  Gerousia. 


GREEK  GOVERNMENT ELECTION  OF  A PRINCE.  209 

department — the  Foreign  department,  including  Com- 
merce— the  Judiciary — and  that  of  Public  Education 
and  Ecclesiastical  Affairs.  The  congress  offered  the 
President  an  annual  salary  of  180,000  phoenixes,?  but  he 
declined  it  for  the  present.  The  representatives  receive 
no  pay.  They  are  to  be  reassembled  as  soon  as  the 
executive  government  has  completed  certain  prelimina- 
ry duties. 

The  present  government  is  regarded  as  provisional 
and  experimental.  The  nation  is  looking  forward  to  a 
time  when  the  constitutional  acts  of  Epidaurus,  Astros, 
and  Trcezen  shall  be  revised,  though  without  any  de- 
parture from  the  principles  admitted  when  those  acts 
were  adopted;  and  also  to  the  enacting  of  so  many 
other  laws,  as  shall  be  necessary  to  give  clearness  and 
stability  to  the  administration  of  their  government. 
Among  the  fundamental  principles,  these  were  expressly 
asserted  by  the  last  congress;  viz. — that  the  representa- 
tive assembly  of  the  nation  shall  be  divided  into  two 
houses,  and  shall  exercise  the  legislative  and  executive 
powers,  and  that  the  judges  shall  be  appointed  for  life.*! 

It  is  due  to  the  President  Capo  d’Istrias  to  say,  that 
he  appeared  to  enjoy  the  confidence  and  affection  of 
the  great  body  of  the  people. 

Early  in  the  present  year  the  Plenipotentiaries  of 
Great  Britain,  France  and  Russia,  made  choice  of 
Prince  Leopold  of  Saxe-Cobourg,  as  sovereign  and 
hereditary  prince  of  Greece;  but  the  Prince,  on  learn- 
ing the  actual  condition  of  Greece,  and  the  feelings  of 
the  people  with  regard  to  an  appointment  in  which  they 
had  no  voice,  declined  the  honor. 

The  Greeks  suffered  enough  in  their  late  struggle  for 
the  blessings  of  liberty,  to  entitle  them  to  a government, 
that  shall  be  modeled  to  suit  their  views  and  wishes  as 
a people,  and  administered  with  wisdom,  energy,  and 


(p)  The  new  coin  mentioned  in  the  note,  p.  40.  The  sum  is  equivalent 
to  30,000  dollars. 

(q)  .Several  acts  of  the  government  in  relation  to  education  and  religion 
will  ba  noticed  when  we  speak  of  those  matters. 

*18 


210 


GOVERNMENT  TO  BE  DESIRED. 


kindness;  and  the  friends  of  Greece  and  of  true 
Christian  liberty  will  rejoice,  if  that  country  may  be  al- 
lowed the  blessing  of  such  a government,  whatever  be 
its  form:  only  let  it  secure  to  the  people  the  enjoyment 
of  all  those  rights,  which  the  Author  of  nature  and  of 
the  gospel  has  given  them. 


CHAPTER  II. 


STATE  AND  PROSPECTS  OF  EDUCATION. 


State  of  education  in  the  last  century— Means  of  instruction  enjoyed  by  the 
Greeks  previous  to  the  revolution— Resort  to  foreign  universities— Heroic 
patriotism  of  five  hundred  educated' Greeks— Activity  of  the  Grecian  mind— 
Few  books  yet  in  Greece — Public  spirit  of  the  Zosimades — Elementary 
education  quite  overlooked  before  the  revolution — Great  interest  beginning 
to  be  taken  in  it— Views,  plans,  and  proceedings  of  the  Greek  government. 

Previous  to  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  the  Greek 
nation  was  plunged  in  profound  darkness.  An  ignorant 
clergy  led  at  their  pleasure  a people  still  more  ignorant. 
Parents  were  too  much  exhausted  by  oppression,  or  too 
much  blinded  by  superstition,  to  give  a good  education 
to  their  children.  If,  at  long  intervals,  a young  man  ex- 
patriated himself  to  seek  that  knowledge  in  Europe, 
which  his  own  country  did  not  afford  him,  his  search 
was  generally  confined  to  Italy,  and  his  studies  directed 
to  medicine,  or  theology.  The  former  he  usually  com- 
menced without  any  preparatory  studies,  and  pursued 
just  far  enough  to  enable  him  to  return  to  his  country  a 
conceited  and  mischievous  quack;  and  the  knowledge 
he  acquired  of  the  latter  was  directed  to  the  composi- 
tion of  wordy  and  useless  controversies.  The  great 
body  of  the  nation  scarcely  knew  how  to  read  and 
write.  With  the  exception  of  a few  ecclesiastical  or 
controversial  works,  issued  from  the  presses  of  Jassy 
and  Bucharest,  towards  the  close  of  the  17th  and  at 
the  beginning  of  the  18th  centuries,  the  press  at  Venice 
was  almost  the  only  one  that  printed  for  the  Greek  peo- 
ple; and,  with  the  exception  of  the  books  necessary  for 
religious  worship,  and  some  few  for  schools  where  an- 


212  EDUCATION  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY. 

cient  Greek  was  taught,  the  publications  of  the  press  at 
Venice  were  better  adapted  to  augment,  than  to  remove, 
the  ignorance  of  the  nation.  By  a happy  accident, 
Rollin’s  Ancient  History  and  Telemachus  form  an  ex- 
ception to  this  remark. 

In  1766  a work  on  experimental  philosophy,  and 
another  on  logic,  both  upon  the  inductive  method,  were 
published  by  two  respectable  ecclesiastics,  and  gradu- 
ally introduced  a new  mode  of  thinking  into  the  higher 
seminaries.  Commerce,  also,  began  to  flourish,  and 
brought  riches  to  many.  Besides  its  direct  and  imme- 
diate influence  upon  the  nation,  to  increase  the  stock  of 
knowledge  and  enlarge  the  range  of  thought,  it  scatter- 
ed Greek  mercantile  houses  in  Italy,  Holland,  and  Ger- 
many, to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  those  countries,  and 
thus  many  youth  were  enabled  to  place  themselves  at  the 
best  universities  in  Europe.  In  Greece  itself  schools 
were  established  in  numerous  villages,  and  several  col- 
leges were  founded.  As  if  in  imitation  of  the  original 
rise  of  Grecian  literature,  it  found  its  recommencement 
in  Ionia.  Chios,  or  Scio,  the  country  of  Homer,  took 
the  lead,  in  the  establishment  of  its  college.  Other 
places  followed,  in  an  honorable  emulation.  These 
colleges  not  only  received  a support,  but  the  liberality 
of  Greek  communities  and  of  rich  individuals  educated 
many  young  men  in  European  universities.  Not  a few 
of  the  more  wealthy  Greeks,  among  whom  the  Zosim- 
ades  hold  the  first  rank,  liberally  aided  in  the  printing  of 
useful  books  for  their  nation;  so  that  Greece  soon  saw 
the  works  of  the  ancient  literati  revisiting  their  native 
soil,  explained  in  its  modern  tongue,  and  accompanied 
by  a crowd  of  modern  works,  original  and  translated,  in 
almost  all  the  sciences  and  in  general  literature.  And 
to  the  honor  of  the  Greek  clergy  be  it  said,  that  so  far 
from  hindering  this  work,  or  looking  upon  it  with  a jeal- 
ous eye,  they  were,  with  few  exceptions,  among  its 
most  zealous  supporters. 

The  above  remarks  are  taken,  with  little  variation, 
from  Coray’s  work  in  French,  entitled  De  VEtat 


GREEK  COLLEGES. 


213 


actuel  de  la  Civilization  dans  la  Grece , published  in 
1803.  An  anonymous  writer  in  the  Greek  Gazette  for 
1828,  accuses  Coray,  who  is  from  a Chiote  family,  of 
excessive  Chiotism , and  affirms  that  the  colleges  in 
Haivali,  Constantinople, a and  Smyrna,  existed  before 
that  of  Scio,  and  taught  the  sciences  more  exactly. 

It  is  not  my  design  to  attempt  giving  a view  of  the 
literature  of  modern  Greece;  b and  the  foregoing  re- 
marks would  suffice,  as  an  introduction  to  the  results  of 
the  personal  observations  made  by  Mr.  Smith  and  my- 
self of  the  state  and  prospects  of  education  in  Greece, 
did  they  somewhat  more  explicitly  state  how  far  the 
means  of  education  had  accumulated  among  the  Greeks, 
previous  to  their  revolutionary  struggle. 

Two  of  the  most  celebrated  Greek  colleges,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  revolution,  were  those  of  Haivali 
and  Scio.  The  college  in  the  former  place  was  com- 
menced in  1803,  and  in  1818  had  200  scholars — of 
whom  about  half  were  from  foreign  parts — four  profes- 
sors, a library  of  700  or  800  volumes,  and  many  astro- 
nomical and  other  scientific  instruments.0  At  what  time 
the  school  in  Scio  became  entitled  to  the  appellation  of 
a college,  I do  not  know.  Its  scholars  in  1818,  were 
between  500  and  600,  and  its  library  was  said  to  con- 
tain 4,000  volumes.  The  number  of  masters  on  the 
establishment,  the  following  year,  is  stated  at  fourteen. 
The  course  of  study  then  embraced  the  Greek,  Latin, 
French  and  Turkish  languages,  theology,  ancient  his- 
tory, logic,  metaphysics,  moral  philosophy,  rhetoric, 
arithmetic,  algebra,  geography,  mechanics,  optics,  paint- 
ing, experimental  philosophy,  and  chemistry.*1  The 


(a)  The  academy  of  Couroutzesme,  on  the  Bosphorus,  established  by 
Demetrius  Merousi,  a Greek  of  the  Fanal,  (a  part  of  Constantinople,) 
to  whose  memory  Greece  is  largely  indebted. 

(b)  Whoever  desires  to  see  such  an  exhibition,  is  referred  to  a work,  by 
Jacobaky  Rizo  Neroulos,  entitled  Cours  de  Lilterature  Grecque  Moderne, 
printed  at  Geneva  in  1828;  or  to  an  article,  compiled  from  that  work,  in 
the  North  American  Review  for  October  1829. 

(c)  Jowett’s  Christian  Researches  in  the  Mediterranean.  London, 
1824.  pp  60—63. 

(d)  Id.  pp.  69-76. 


214 


GREEK  COLLEGES  AND  PRESSES. 


Greek  school  at  Athens  had  a well  selected  library  of 
700  or  800  volumes.6  The  founder  of  the  college  on 
the  Bosphorus,  who  had  also  an  agency  in  establishing 
those  of  Scio  and  Haivali,  provided  it  with  a library, 
philosophical  apparatus,  and  professors  in  the  sciences, 
and  saw  it  filled  with  students/  One  of  the  last  persons 
who  occupied  the  chair  of  this  institution,  Stephen 
Dunkas,  conceived  the  idea,  in  union  with  the  lyric 
poet  Christopoulos  and  three  or  four  other  Greeks,  of 
founding  an  university  at  Ambelakia,  a town  at  the  foot 
of  mount  Pelion,  in  his  native  Thessaly,  and  expended 
part  of  a considerable  fortune  in  purchasing  philosoph- 
ical, chemical,  and  astronomical  instruments,  which  he 
transported  to  the  place  of  their  destination.^  Another 
of  the  principal  literary  institutions  of  the  Greeks,  was 
at  Joannina  in  Epirus. 

Printing  presses  were  in  operation  at  Scio,  Haivali, 
and  on  the  Bosphorus/ 

All  these  means  of  instruction,  excepting  some  of  the 
teachers,  have  been  swept  away  by  the  tempest  of  war. 

The  college  at  Smyrna  contained  about  300  scholars 
in  1819,  and  nine  masters.* 1  It  was  closed  for  some 
time,  after  the  Greek  revolution  commenced,  but  was 
in  operation  in  1829.  There  were  then  about  300 
scholars,  and  its  library  contained  200  or  300  volumes. 
Though  a respectable  school,  it  seems  hardly  entitled  to 
the  name  of  a college.  The  most  important  high  school 
in  the  Morea,  was  that  of  Demetsana.  In  its  library 
were  about  1 ,000  volumes,  but  the  school  had  depreci- 
ated. The  school -house  and  about  half  the  library  sur- 
vive the  war. J 


(e)  Jowett’s  Researches,  p.  80. 

(f ) Dr.  Walsh’s  Narrative  of  a Journey  from  Constantinople  to  Eng- 
land, p.  159. 

(g)  N.  A.  Review,  vol  xx,  p.  349. 

(h)  Greek  Gazette.  There  was  a press,  moreover,  at  Boscoplos,  in 
Macedonia,  but  I do  not  learn  its  fate. 

(i)  Jowett’s  Christian  Researches,  p.  53. 

( j)  See  p.  105. 


RESORT  TO  FOREIGN  UNIVERSITIES. 


215 


In  foreign  countries  the  Greeks  had  a number  of  col- 
leges and  schools  for  the  education  of  their  youth.  In 
Jassy  and  Bucharest,  there  were  colleges;  in  Odessa, 
Leghorn,  Venice,  Trieste,  and  Vienna,  there  were 
classical  schools.  Printing  establishments  existed  at 
Jassy  and  Bucharest,  Vienna  and  Venice. 

At  none  of  their  Schools  and  colleges,  however,  do 
the  Greeks  appear  to  have  regarded  a thorough  and 
finished  education  as  attainable.  They  were,  therefore, 
coming  more  and  more  into  the  practice  of  sending 
their  young  men  of  respectable  families  to  different  uni- 
versities of  Europe,  generally  to  those  of  Italy  and  Ger- 
many. The  extent  to  which  this  practice  had  been 
carried,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that,  in  1821,  nearly 
500  Greek  young  men  abandoned  their  colleges,  and 
the  mercantile  houses  where  they  had  been  placed  after 
finishing  their  collegiate  studies,  and,  completely  armed, 
repaired  from  Italy,  Russia,  and  Germany,  to  the  stand- 
ard of  Ypselantes  in  Wallachia.  There  they  enrolled 
themselves  into  a corps  called  “the  sacred  band” — in- 
scribed upon  their  banners  “death,  or  freedom,”  and 
also  the  motto  which  was  upon  the  Spartan  shield, 
“either  this,  or  upon  it”  k — and  shortly  after- 
wards, while  emulating  the  heroism  of  Thermopylae 
and  Marathon,  were  nearly  all  cut  to  pieces  by  the 
Turkish  cavalry  on  the  fields  of  Drageschan.* 1 

The  activity  and  enterprise  of  that  comparatively 
small  portion  of  the  Grecian  mind,  which  had  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  cultivation,  were  surprisingly  great  be- 
tween the  years  1800  and  1821.  More  than  3,000  new 
works,  generally  translations,  were  printed  in  the  modern 
language  during  that  time;  and  the  prospectus  of  a new 
work  was  hardly  announced,  when  a sufficient  number 
of  subscribers  was  obtained  to  carry  it  through  the 
press.m  The  best  poets,  philosophers,  and  historians  of 


(k)  H ?rxv  h i7Fi  'retv.  , 

(l)  Walsh’s  Journey,  p 142. 

(m)  N.  A.  Review,  vol.  xx,  p.  351.  Very  many  of  these  works  no 
doubt  were  dramas. 


216 


BOOKS  NOW  IN  GREECE. 


England,  France,  and  Italy,  are  to  be  found  in  the 
modern  Greek,  printed  chiefly  at  Vienna  and  Venice.11 
Indeed  the  language  contains  quite  a variety  of  books, 
both  translated  and  original,  in  almost  all  the  sciences, 
suited  for  schools  of  a higher  order. 

Very  few  of  these  books,  however,  are  yet  in  Greece. 
We  rarely  found  a classical  school,  (as  those  small 
schools  which  are  designed  chiefly  for  teaching  the  an- 
cient language  are  called,)  that  had  three  copies  of  the 
same  book.  This  is  true,  also,  of  the  schools  which 
teach  arithmetic,  geography,  astronomy,  etc.  in  respect 
to  books  relating  to  those  sciences.  For  a remedy  to 
this  evil,  the  Zosimades,  wealthy  and  public-spirited 
Greek  merchants  of  Moscow,  who  have  been  the  pa- 
trons of  Coray  in  his  numerous  publications,  some  years 
since  ordered  copies  of  his  edition  of  the  ancient  clas- 
sics to  be  distributed  gratuitously  throughout  the  schools 
of  Greece.  But  everything  is  now  to  be  done  anew; 
and  N.  Zosimas,  the  surviving  brother  of  that  distin- 
guished family,  wrote  to  the  President  from  Moscow,  in 
October  1828,  that  he  had  directed  what  books  belong  to 
his  house  in  Trieste  and  Venice  to  be  sent  immediately 
to  the  government  for  the  schools.  He  promises  more, 
as  soon  as  the  Black  Sea  shall  be  open.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  order,  5,152  volumes,  of  forty  different 
works,  were  received  near  the  end  of  the  year.  We 
saw  them  in  one  of  the  apartments  of  the  Orphan 
School.  Some  are  ancient  classics;  the  rest  treat 
on  history,  geography,  grammar,  mathematics,  etc. 
Two  Frenchmen  have,  also,  given  books — one  500  vol- 
umes, the  other  to  the  amount  of  100,000  francs,  or 
20,000  dollars.  In  November  1 829,  a Greek  made  a do- 
nation of  160  volumes  in  Greek,  French,  and  German.0 

Few  of  these  books  are  believed  to  be  adapted  to 
primary  schools;  but,  in  general,  they  will  be  very 


(n)  Jowett’s  Researches,  p.  315. 

(o)  Greek  Gazette. — This  roan  gave,  at  the  same  time,  two  richly  orna » 
merited  pictures  of  the  Virgin. 


ELEMENTARY  EDUCATION  FORMERLY  OVERLOOKED. 217 

useful  in  the  higher  seminaries.  Such  acts  of  munifi- 
cence, too,  when  they  become  known,  will  be  likely  . to 
operate  by  way  of  example  in  the  various  parts  of  Chris- 
tendom. 

Elementary  schools  were  in  a great  measure  over- 
looked by  the  educated  class  of  Greeks,  previous  to  the 
revolution.  Their  enthusiasm  was  spent  upon  acade- 
mies and  colleges.  If  village-schools  were  multiplied, 
as  Coray  says  they  were,  little  thought  was  bestowed 
upon  an  improvement  of  their  character.  And  of  what 
use  were  they,  when  their  masters  were  profoundly  ig- 
norant, and  when  the  books  employed  in  them  were  in 
a language,  which  the  teacher  rarely  understood,  and  the 
pupil  never?  The  instructors  were  usually  parish  priests, 
who  thus  sought  to  augment  their  pittance  of  support. 
The  books — a very  small  spelling-book,  a collection  of 
prayers,  and  the  Psalter— were  all  in  ancient  Greek. 
From  these  schools  the  girls  were  excluded;  and  the 
boys,  scarcely  more  favored,  were  occupied  about  mere 
words,  and  beheld  only  the  shadows  of  knowledge, 
while  they  thought,  perhaps,  that  they  were  grasping  the 
substance. 

Up  to  the  present  time,  the  village-schools  on  the  old 
plan,  which  are  rather  numerous  in  Greece,  accomplish 
very  little  for  the  mind.  The  whole  process  of  instruc- 
tion gives  the  least  possible  employment  to  the  under- 
standing. The  people,  however,  are  fast  learning  the 
inefficacy  of  the  system.  We  observed  that  the  more 
intelligent  of  them,  when  conversing  with  us,  seldom 
reckoned  these  schools  among  their  means  of  education; 
and  even  an  unlettered  peasant,  who  was  employed  by 
the  French  scientific  corps  in  digging  for  antiquities  on 
the  plain  of  Olympia,  pronounced  them  to  be  “false 
schools.” 

Since  the  revolutionary  struggle  commenced,  a de- 
sire to  improve  these  schools  by  introducing  the  system 
of  mutual  instruction,  and  the  use  of  school-books  in  the 
modern  language,  has  been  gradually  diffused  through 
19 


218 


VIEWS  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT. 


the  nation.  About  the  year  1824,  the  Greek  legislature 
ordered,  that  a grand  central  school  for  the  education  of 
teachers  on  the  Lancasterian  plan  should  be  established 
at  Argos,  and  that  each  district  should  send  two  pupils 
to  the  school.?  The  events  of  the  war  seem  to  have 
prevented  the  execution  of  this  decree;  though  flourish- 
ing Lancasterian  schools  existed,  soon  after,  at  Tripo- 
litsa  and  Nauplion,  and  a writer  in  the  Greek  Gazette 
affirms,  that  fourteen  schools  for  mutual  instruction 
sprang  up  in  the  islands  during  the  turmoils  of  the  revo- 
lution, where  before  there  was  only  one. 

At  the  period  of  our  visit,  the  people  seemed  much 
more  interested  in  the  establishment  of  Lancasterian 
schools  for  primary  education,  than  of  academies  and 
colleges.  Not  that  they  deemed  the  higher  seminaries 
unimportant;  but  everything  could  not  be  done  at  once, 
and  it  seemed  of  vital  importance  to  the  new  state,  that 
the  rudiments  of  knowledge  should  be  very  speedily  dif- 
fused among  the  ignorant  mass  of  citizens. 

The  views  and  proceedings  of  the  Greek  government 
in  relation  to  this  subject,  are  worthy  of  particular  no- 
tice, both  because  they  are  partly  the  result  of  the 
national  feeling,  and  therefore  show  what  that  feeling  is, 
and  because  they  must  necessarily  exert  a great  influ- 
ence upon  it. 

The  Instructions  I received  from  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  directed  me  to 
propose  inquiries  to  the  President  of  Greece  on  certain 
points,  respecting  which  information  was  desired  in 
order  to  know  how  far  the  Greek  people  could  be 
assisted  in  promoting  their  own  intellectual  and  moral 
improvement.  This  part  of  my  duty  was  rendered 
easy  by  the  urbanity  of  the  President,  who,  in  three 
interviews,  gave  frank  and  explicit  answers  to  my 
inquiries,  and  afterwards  delivered  me  in  writing  the 

(p)  Blaquiere. — Mr.  Emerson  says,  that  the  Philomuse  Society  of  Ath- 
ens, which  was  formed  ip  1813,  established  several  Lancasterian  schools 
in  different  parts  of  Greece  before  the  revolution. 


VIEWS  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT. 


219 


substance  of  his  more  important  communications.*1 
From  these  sources,  and  from  official  papers  for 
the  years  1828  and  1829,  I derive  an  illustration  of 
the  views  entertained  by  the  Greek  government,  and 
of  the  course  that  government  has  taken  and  is  likely 
to  take,  in  reference  to  popular  education. 

As  early  as  April  1828,  the  provincial  governors  were 
instructed  to  inform  themselves  concerning  the  schools 
existing  in  their  respective  departments,  and,  if  there 
were  none,  to  take  measures  for  their  establishment, 
“always  keeping  strictly  within  the  limits  of  elementary 
education.”  The  President,  in  his  tour  through  the 
Peloponnesus,  a year  afterwards,  fostered  the  universal 
desire  he  found  for  schools,  by  visiting  and  encouraging 
those  which  already  existed,  and  by  promising  to  es- 
tablish schools  where  there  were  none.  On  his  return 
from  this  tour,  he  expressed  to  the  patrons,  teachers, 
and  pupils  of  the  schools,  through  the  public  paper,  the 
high  gratification  he  had  derived  from  those  he  visited; 
proposed  that  the  teachers  should  recommend  such  of 
their  scholars  as  they  thought  worthy  of  being  placed 
in  the  contemplated  normal  school;  and  promised  a re- 
ward of  three  hundred  piastres  for  every  scholar  thus 
recommended,  who  should  on  examination  be  admitted. 
In  his  message  to  the  congress  at  Argos,  the  President 
used  the  following  language: — “We  hope  to  be  able,”  he 
says,  “with  the  help  of  God  and  of  the  generous  friends 
of  Greece,  to  provide,  in  a short  time,  for  every  prov- 
ince and  every  village  the  advantages  of  elementary 
schools.  As  soon  as  this  basis  of  national  improvement 
is  firmly  established,  the  government  should  aim,  without 
delay,  to  form  central  schools  in  the  several  provinces, 
where  scholars,  after  leaving  the  schools  of  mutual  in- 
struction, may  receive  a superior  education  in  the  belle- 
lettres,  the  sciences,  and  the  arts.”  These  sentiments  were 


(q)  These  documents,  with  an  account  of  my  personal  intercourse  with 
the  President,  were  published  in  the  Missionary  Herald,  vol.  xxvi,  pp. 
41 — 49. 


220 


PLANS  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT. 


reciprocated  by  the  national  assembly,  which  expressly 
declared  that  the  social  and  civil  regeneration  of  the 
country  must  be  built  upon  the  reforming  influences  of 
the  Christian  religion,  and  of  a correct  system  of  educa- 
tion. Indeed,  the  importance  of  education,  as  a means 
of  national  prosperity,  seemed  to  us  to  i)e  strongly  felt 
by  the  several  branches  of  the  government.  Cal- 
lergis,  the  governor  of  the  northern  Cyclades,  declar- 
ed, in  an  official  paper,  that  the  diffusion  of  knowledge 
was  the  only  means  by  which  the  Greeks  could  be 
proved,  in  the  view  of  enlightened  Europe,  to  be  wor- 
thy of  their  liberties. 

The  plan  proposed  by  the  government  for  its  own 
measures  in  relation  to  this  object,  is  similar  to  that, 
which  is  hereafter  to  be  described  as  going  into  opera- 
tion in  the  Ionian  Islands:  viz.  First , the  establishment 
of  primary  schools,  on  the  system  of  mutual  instruction; 
Seco7idly,  the  institution  of  classical  schools,  or  acade- 
mies, in  the  several  provinces;  and  thirdly , the  found- 
ing of  an  university.  I do  not  find  that  any  measures 
have  yet  been  adopted  with  direct  reference  to  the  uni- 
versity; nor  that  any  classical  schools  have  been  com- 
menced by  the  government,  excepting  the  one  for  the 
education  of  teachers  at  iEgina.  That  was  to  be  open- 
ed on  the  first  day  of  the  present  year,  and  the  branches 
to  be  taught  in  it  were  the  Greek  grammar,  the  history 
of  Greece,  geography,  the  French  language,  and  the 
best  Greek  writers  in  prose. 

The  later  acts  of  the  government  evince  a strong  dis- 
position to  subject  to  its  control  all  the  Lancasterian 
schools  in  the  nation.  “As  the  method  to  be  followed 
in  schools  for  mutual  instruction,”  says  the  government 
in  an  act  dated  October  1 829,  “has  not  hitherto  been 
settled  by  a written  ordinance,  each  instructor  adopts 
a system  of  his  own  for  the  direction  of  his  school.  The 
division  of  the  students  into  different  classes,  the  de- 
gree of  knowledge  which  they  shall  possess  before  they 
are  promoted  from  a lower  to  a higher  class,  the  exam- 
inations to  which  they  should,  on  this  account,  be  sub- 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT.  221 

jected, — none  of  these  things  is  firmly  and  uniformly 
regulated  in  any  one  school.  We  therefore  deem  it 
necessary  above  all  things,  that  a regulation  should  be 
made,  which  all  instructors  shall  he  ordered  to  follow . 
The  object  of  this  regulation  shall  be  to  determine, 
(1.)  the  number  of  classes,  which  shall  compose  each 
school;  (2.)  the  studies , which  the  scholars  shall  he 
taught  in  each  of  these  classes ; and  (3.)  the  manner, 
according  to  which  the  students  shall  be  examined  be- 
fore they  go  from  class  to  class.” 

For  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  organization  of  the 
schools,  and  of  introducing  an  uniform  method  of  teach- 
ing, three  committees  have  been  appointed,  and  com- 
missioned to  “translate  and  compose  elementary  books, 
and  to  review  those  which  are  already  translated.” 
The  first,  consisting  of  the  bishops  of  iEgina,  Talanti, 
Rethymna,  and  Cyrene,  were  instructed  to  engage  im- 
mediately in  the  composition  of  a prayer-book,  and  a re- 
ligious synopsis  and  catechism.  The  second  committee, 
consisting  of  the  teachers  of  the  central  school  at 
iEgina,  and  one  other  Greek,  is  to  present  to  the  gov- 
ernment a grammar  and  dictionary  of  the  ancient  lan- 
guage. The  third  committee  is  composed  of  M.  Du- 
trone,  a French  gentleman  connected  with  the  Society 
at  Paris  for  Elementary  Instruction,  together  with  two 
Greeks,  one  of  whom  is  N.  Niketoplos  of  the  Orphan 
School.  This  last  committee  is  to  review  the  tables 
and  books  already  translated  for  the  use  of  the  Lancas- 
terian  schools,  and  to  submit  also  to  government  their 
observations  upon  other  books  relating  to  the  fundamen- 
tal branches  of  public  instruction. 

While  contemplating  these  measures  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  reflecting  on  the  unfavorable  bearing  which 
some  of  them  may  possibly  have  upon  the  endeavors  of 
friends  of  Greece  in  other  countries  to  promote  the 
moral  and  spiritual  regeneration  of  that  interesting  peo- 
ple, it  is  cheering  to  recur  to  a declaration  in  one  of 
the  President’s  communications  to  myself.  In  describ- 
*19 


222  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT. 

ing  the  plan,  on  which  the  philhellenes r of  my  own 
country  desired  to  establish  schools  in  Greece,  I had 
stated,  among  other  things,  the  kind  of  books  we  should 
use,  naming  particularly  the  Psalter  and  New  Testament 
translated  into  the  modern  Greek  language.  Referring 
to  the  plan,  of  which  I had  given  him  the  outline,  the 
President  says  in  reply: — “The  plan  is  that  which  I have 
followed,  and  which  I purpose  to  follow,  in  order  to 
discharge,  by  the  help  of  God,  my  duties  in  this  so 
essential  a part  of  the  difficult  task  confided  to  me.  I 
am  at  present  occupied  in  the  organization  of  a normal 
school  for  mutual  instruction,  in  order  to  be  able  to  fur- 
nish the  different  provinces  of  Greece  with  a sufficient 
number  of  teachers.  While  these  teachers  are  prepar- 
ing themselves,  school-houses  must  be  built  in  the  dif- 
ferent provinces,  where  the  war  has  left  nothing  but 
ruins,  and  all  the  other  articles  in  the  mean  time  be 
provided,  which  are  necessary  to  the  organization  of 
these  establishments.  In  the  number  of  these  articles 
I cause  to  be  entered  the  Bible , the  New  Testament , 
and  the  Psalms , translated  and  printed  in  modern 
Greek” 

One  point,  therefore,  of  vital  interest,  may  be  regard- 
ed as  settled,  so  far  as  the  declaration  of  the  present 
chief  magistrate  can  determine  it; — that,  whatever  other 
books  the  government  may  admit  into  their  system  of  ed- 
ucation, and  whatever  others  exclude  from  it,  that  great 
standard  of  the  truth,  that  infallible  regulator  of  the  life, 
that  original  fountain  of  the  best  literature  and  science, 
the  bible,  is  to  form  a component  part  of  the  system. 
How  unlike  the  policy  generally  pursued  by  Roman 
Catholic  states!  And  if  this  policy  be  adhered  to,  and 
if  the  word  of  God  shall  be  placed  in  all  the  schools 
of  Greece,  and  shall  be  read  in  them,  as  it  has 
long  been  in  the  schools  of  New  England — the 
great  point  is  certainly  gained:  and  it  may  be  hoped, 


(r)  The  word  by  which  the  Greeks  denote  their  friends  of  other  coun- 
tries, I use  it  to  avoid  circumlocution. 


POVERTY  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT.  223 

that  any  other  arrangements  at  variance  with  this  in  their 
spirit  and  tendency,  should  there  be  such,  will  be  like 
mists  of  the  morning  twilight  before  the  rising  day. 

The  government  has  stated,  that  300  and  even  400 
Lancasterian  schools  are  needed.  These  might  furnish 
the  means  of  instruction  to  75,000  or  100,000  children. 
Only  twenty-five  had  been  established  when  we  trav- 
elled through  the  country.  In  these  were  about  3,000 
pupils,  but  the  number  might  be  increased,  perhaps,  to 
6,000.  These  schools  were  nearly  all  established  by 
the  Greeks  themselves,  with  little  aid  from  abroad.  In 
some  instances  the  public  revenue  had  been  taxed  to 
assist  in  the  erection  of  schools,  but  the  national  treas- 
ury is  too  poor  to  render  much  assistance  in  that  manner. 
The  government  gives  its  countenance  to  the  schools, 
it  induces  the  people  to  subscribe  for  them,  it  prescribes 
rules  for  their  conduct,  it  solicits  aid  for  them  from 
abroad;  but  it  can  at  present  do  little  more.  There  is, 
however,  one  source  within  the  limits  of  the  country, 
from  which  a revenue  is  to  be  obtained  for  the  benefit 
of  learning,  and  that  is  the  numerous  convents.  The 
fourth  congress  authorizes  the  government  to  make  such 
arrangements  in  the  convents,  as  that  they  maybe  made 
to  afford  assistance  in  the  establishment  of  schools, 
academies,  colleges,  and  public  presses.  Some  instan- 
ces, in  which  the  incomes  of  these  institutions  have  been 
called  pretty  largely  into  requisition,  will  be  noticed  in 
the  next  chapter.  Foreign  aid  is  desired  in  the  form 
of  a loan  to  the  government;  and  in  that  form  the  gov- 
ernment have  requested  it  from  their  friends  in  Europe 
and  America:55  and  a treasury  has  been  established,  in 
which  all  money  is  deposited,  that  is  particularly  de- 
signed for  education  and  the  public  press. 

Whether  the  authorities  of  the  Greek  nation  will 
exert  any  direct  influence  to  embarrass  the  independent 
exertions  of  philhellenes  to  establish  and  conduct 
seminaries  of  learning  among  them,  yet  remains  to  be 


(s)  See  Missionary  Herald,  vol.  xxvi,  p.  44. 


224  GOVERNMENT  PRESUMED  TO  BE  TOLERANT. 

seen.  Such  an  interference  would  be  contrary  to  the 
spirit,  if  not  to  the  letter,  of  their  constitution,  and  inju- 
rious to  their  national  character;  and  therefore  I must 
believe,  until  I see  decisive  evidence  of  such  interfer- 
ence, that  it  is  not  designed  to  be  attempted.  The  acts 
I have  quoted  may  be  intended  to  apply  only  to  such 
schools  as  are  founded  by  the  Greeks  themselves,  and 
not  to  those  which  are  the  result  of  foreign  agency;  and 
if  applied  to  all,  may  yet  be  so  discreet  and  tolerant  in 
their  details  and  execution,  as  to  meet  the  views  of  en- 
lightened philanthropists  generally.  Should',  however, 
the  apprehensions  of  some  excellent  men  be  realized, 
and  Greece  prove  recreant  to  the  principles  of  civil  and 
religious  toleration,  the  authors  of  such  a bitter  disap- 
pointment to  her  best  friends,  and  of  such  an  oppro- 
brium on  her  name  and  cause,  will  bring  on  them- 
selves deep  and  merited  disgrace  in  the  eyes  of  Prot- 
estant Europe  and  America. 


CHAPTER  IU. 


STATE  AND  PROSPECTS  OF  EDUCATION. 


Feeling  among  the  people  at  large  on  the  subject  of  education— Subscriptions  in 
towns  and  villages  for  free-schools — Contributions  made  by  convents — Indi- 
vidual munificence — Rise  of  the  female  school  at  Syra — Letter  from  a Greek 
female — “American  School”  at  Syra — Sabbath-school  at  Syra — Orphan 
School  at  iEgina — Schools  at  Nauplion,  Argos,  Tripolitsa,  and  Demetsana — 
Scarcity  of  elementary  books — In  what  manner  a supply  is  to  be  furnished 
— What  books  would  be  acceptable — Vast  importance  of  this  branch  of  be- 
nevolent effort — Printing  presses — On  the  establishment  of  schools — System  of 
instruction  in  the  Ionian  Islands — Preliminary  observations — Elementary 
schools — Classical  schools — University — Theological  Seminary — General  re- 
marks. 

We  heard  of  no  diversity  of  opinion  among  the  numer- 
ous foreigners  in  Greece  as  to  the  state  of  Greek  feel- 
ing on  the  subject  of  education.  All  agreed,  that  there 
was  an  universal  and  strong  desire,  that  the  male  youth 
might  enjoy  the  blessing  of  good  schools.  In  this  de- 
sire the  clergy  participated  with  the  laity.  The  feeling 
was  strongest,  however,  among  the  youth  themselves. 
With  respect  to  female  education,  there  was  in  general 
much  apathy,  and  often  a prejudice  against  it;  yet 
both  the  prejudice  and  the  apathy  were  beginning  to 
yield  to  more  liberal  sentiments. 

Subscriptions  for  the  establishment  and  support  of 
Lancasterian  schools,  have  been  commenced  in  not  a 
few  towns  and  villages  of  Greece;  and,  considering  the 
poverty  of  the  people,  the  great  relative  value  of  money 
in  that  part  of  the  world,  and  also  that  the  schools  at- 
tempted are  in  the  fullest  sens e free-schools,  the  alacrity 
which  the  people  have  thus  manifested,  entitles  them  to 
our  sympathy  and  aid.  From  the  many  authentic  facts 
in  our  possession,  a few  will  be  selected. 

The  town  of  Arkadia,  on  the  western  coast  of  the 
Peloponnesus,  was  burnt  by  the  Egyptians,  and  among 


226  SUBSCRIPTIONS  IN  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES. 

270  families  which  it  now  contains,  108  have  been  de- 
prived of  their  male  head.  The  fifteenth  day  of  March 
1829  being  a festival,  the  governor  addressed  the  peo- 
ple in  the  church  after  mass,  exhorting,  them  to  make 
the  day  a real  feast,  by  taking  measures  to  establish  a 
Lancasterian  school.  A subscription  was  immediately 
opened,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  it  amounted  to  2,700 
piastres.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  twenty-eight  Greek 
females  added  700  piastres  to  the  subscription,  and  a 
number  gave  their  gold  rings  and  other  jewels.a  When 
we  were  there,  in  June,  the  subscription  had  risen  to 
6,000  piastres. 

The  inhabitants  of  Mothone,  in  the  same  province, 
at  a public  meeting  subscribed  3,900  piastres. 

The  governor  of  Argolis,  while  at  Cranidi,  a town  in 
the  southern  part  of  that  province,  in  the  summer  of 
1828,  called  a meeting  in  one  of  the  churches,  and 
there,  after  an  address  from  one  of  the  priests,  opened 
a subscription  for  a school,  which  he  himself  headed 
with  500  piastres.  The  inhabitants,  although  their 
native  language  is  Albanian,  showed  great  zeal  in  the 
project,  even  women  and  children  soliciting  money  from 
their  husbands  and  fathers,  that  they  might  pontribute 
to  it.b  The  subscription,  as  reported  in  the  Gazette  in 

(a)  Greek  Gazette. — A piastre  has  already  been  stated  to  be  the  fif- 
teenth part  of  a Spanish  dollar.  .4 

(b)  It  has  already  been  stated,  that  the  Albanian  language  is  the  com- 
mon dialect  of  certain  districts  in  Greece;  as  of  the  islands  of  Poros, 
Hydra,  and  Spetsae,  and  of  the  Argolic  peninsula  below  Epidaurus.  It  is 
spoken  by  more  than  half  of  the  inhabitants  of  Argos,  by  those  of  about 
twenty  villages  between  Calabryta  and  Patras,  of  several  villages  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Paloumpa,  of  a number  on  the  plain  of  Lacus,  and  in  the 
district  of  Helos,  and  between  Monembasia  and  Leonidi.  It  is  also  the  lan- 
guage of  about  ten  villages  in  the  island  of  Andros.  It  is  corrupted  from 
the  proper  Albanian,  and  is  considered,  even  by  those  who  use  it,  as  a 
vulgar  dialect.  To  discourage  its  use,  it  is  forbidden  to  be  spoken  in  the 
schools  of  Argos  and  Hydra,  and  I believe  in  the  Lancasterian  schools 
generally.  This  fact  explains  the  remark  above,  borrowed  from  the  Greek 
newspaper,  respecting  the  zeal  of  the  Cranidiotes.  Albanian  is  too  much 
corrupted  in  liberated  Greece,  to  allow  the  translation,  which  has  been 
made  of  ihe  New  Testament  into  that  language,  to  be  of  much  use  there. 

The  Wallachian  does  not  seem  to  be  the  common  language  of  any 
district  in  the  Peloponnesus,  though  there  are  some,  and  possibly  many, 
scattered  Wallachians. — The  Leonidiotes  have  a dialect  peculiar  to  them- 
selves, bnd  scarcely  understood  abroad,  but  it  appears  to  be  of  Greek 
origin. 


SUBSCRIPTIONS  IN  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES.  227 


October,  amounted  to  8,776  piastres,  of  which  twelve 
priests  contributed  670,  the  abbots  of  two  convents  800, 
and  eighteen  females  845.  A handsome  and  commo- 
dious school-house  was  nearly  completed,  when  we 
passed  through  the  town  in  May  1829. 

The  inhabitants  of  two  villages  in  Laconia,  called 
Kato  Rise  and  Bardeno-chorio,  wrote  to  the  governor  of 
that  province  in  May  1829,  that,  being  desirous  of  estab- 
lishing a Lancasterian  and  a Hellenic  school  (or  a school 
for  teaching  the  ancient  Greek,)  they  had  subscribed 
6,791  piastres.  But  as  this  would  not  suffice,  they  pray 
government  to  ratify  a proposition,  which  the  abbots  of 
four  convents  in  their  neighborhood  had  cheerfully 
made,  to  contribute  3,300  piastres  more  to  the  object.0 

A town,  situated  among  the  rocks  of  eastern  Mane, 
subscribed  about  3,000  piastres,  of  which  the  bishop 
gave  a sixth  part;  and  because  this  was  not  enough, 
the  people  appropriated  the  like  sum  annually,  from  the 
income  of  a convent.  This  was  for  a Lancasterian 
school.  They  had  already  established  a Hellenic 
school,  which  was  supported  by  an  annual  subscription 
of  2,500  piastres,  and  was  said  to  be  the  first  school  of 
the  kind  ever  attempted  in  Mane.d 

Another  town  among  the  same  rocky  and  barren 
cliffs,  but  farther  south,  raised  5,250  piastres;  of  which, 
however,  the  archimandrite  subscribed  1,500,  probably 
from  the  income  of  some  convent,  and  this  latter  sum 
was  to  be  repeated  annually. e 

The  inhabitants  of  Calamata,  in  Lower  Messenia, 
subscribed  10,365  piastres,  including  5,000  from  two 
convents,  for  the  establishment  of  schools;  and  for  their 
support,  the  citizens  agreed  to  pay  one-half  per  cent. 
pf  their  income,  and  the  merchants  one-half  per  mill. 
of  their  capital/ 

(c)  Greek  Gazette. 

(d)  The  town  was  Marathonesi.  The  facts  we  learned  by  personal  in- 
quiry. The  Hellenic  school,  though  designed  for  classical  studies,  had 
not  a single  classical  book. 

(e)  Greek  Gazette. 

(f)  Ibid. 


228  SUBSCRIPTIONS  MADE  BY  CONVENTS. 

In  the  island  of  Santorene  the  inhabitants  established 
four  Lancasterian  schools,  and  one  central  classical 
school,  and,  in  a general  meeting,  voted  that  private 
landholders  should  pay  an  annual  tax  of  one  piastre  on 
each  stremma  of  land,  and  the  convents  five  piastres, 
for  the  permanent  support  of  those  schools.  The  vote 
was  sanctioned  by  the  bishop  and  governor.5 

The  reader  will  have  noticed  in  what  manner  the 
convents  contribute  to  the  schools.  At  Myconos  the 
inhabitants  established  both  a Hellenic  and  a Lancaste- 
rian school,  by  means  of  funds  derived  from  a convent 
on  their  island.  The  monasteries  of  Anapha,  Amorgos, 
and  Scyros,  have  aided  in  establishing  free  schools  in 
their  respective  islands.  A considerable  part  of  the  in- 
come of  the  convent  on  the  island  of  Poros  has  been 
appropriated  to  the  support  of  a school  in  the  town. 

But  the  most  striking  facts  in  relation  to  monasteries 
are  yet  to  be  related.  The  government  Gazette  con- 
tains a letter  from  the  island  of  Samos,  written  at  the 
close  of  1828,  the  statements  of  which  are  confirmed  by 
the  acts  of  the  local  authorities.  In  that  letter  it  is  said, 
that  the  governor  and  demogerontiae  of  the  province, 
knowing  that  the  incomes  of  the  convents  of  Samos 
were  considerable,  invited  the  abbots  to  a meeting,  and 
represented  to  them  the  necessity  of  establishing  Lan- 
casterian schools  for  the  youth  of  the  island.  “These 
fathers,”  continues  the  letter,  “not  less  friendly  to  learn- 
ing than  to  virtue,  immediately  offered,  spontaneously, 
all  the  incomes  of  their  monasteries  for  the  support  and 
establishment  of  schools,  promising  to  live  in  future  on 
the  produce  of  their  own  proper  estates.  A truly  praise- 
worthy zeal!  May  it  be  imitated  by  all  the  fathers  of 
monasteries!”  In  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  means  were 
thus  secured  for  putting  into  operation  eight  Lancaste- 
rian and  three  Hellenic  schools. 


{ g ) Greek  Gazette. — A stremma  is  about  two-thirds  of  an  acre, 


SUBSCRIPTIONS  MADE  BY  CONVENTS. 


229 


The  people  of  the  island  of  Andros,  after  resolving, 
at  a public  meeting  which  was  attended  by  the  governor 
of  the  province,  that  one  Hellenic  and  three  Lancaste- 
rian  schools  should  be  formed  in  their  island,  adopted 
the  following  plan  for  obtaining  the  means  for  their  es- 
tablishment and  perpetuity.  (1.)  They  resolved  upon 
a contribution  among  the  citizens:  (2.)  Having  appoint- 
ed two  men  to  the  office  of  notaries,  who  were  able, 
on  account  of  their  wealth,  to  discharge  the  duties 
gratis , they  ordered  all  the  usual  fees  of  that  office  to 
be  collected  for  the  benefit  of  the  schools:  and  (3.)  They 
voted  that  all  money  due  to  either  of  the  three  monas- 
teries of  the  island,  should  be  made  the  property  of  the 
schools;  “the  fathers  in  these  monasteries,”  says  the 
resolution,  “very  gladly  delivering  up  their  notes  to  be 
renewed  in  the  name  of  the  school.” 

The  only  other  instance  of  this  species  of  tax  imposed 
upon  the  convents,  which  1 shall  mention,  occurred  in  A- 
carnania.  Extracts  from  the  correspondence  between  the 
abbots  and  the  provincial  governor,  will  shew  the  nature 
of  the  influence  which  was  employed  to  awaken  public 
spirit  in  the  monks,  and  also  the  disposition  of  the  govern- 
ment to  render  the  monastic  institutions  useful  to  the  na- 
tion. “Your  exhortations  and  persuasive  arguments,”  say 
the  abbots,  “have  made  such  an  impression  on  our  minds, 
that  we  have  resolved,  notwithstanding  our  povertv,  to 
defray  the  cost  of  two  buildings,  one  for  a Hellenic 
school,  the  other  for  a school  on  the  system  of  mutual 
instruction,  and  also  to  pay  the  annual  salaries  of  the  two 
instructors.  You  cannot  but  know,  sir,  how  our  mon- 
asteries have  been  destroyed,  and  our  fields  laid  waste. 
The  evils  of  a long  war  do  not  prevent  us,  however, 
from  cheerfully  contributing  towards  this  sacred  cause.” 
Then  follow  the  names  of  ten  abbots  (Hyov pivot)  with 
their  subscriptions,  amounting  to  8,000  piastres,  which 
they  hope  will  suffice  to  erect  the  buildings,  and  pay 
the  teachers  for  the  first  year.  The  language  of  the 
governor  in  reply  is  worthy  of  special  notice,  as  the 
correspondence  has  been  published  in  the  government 
20 


230 


INDIVIDUAL  MUNIFICENCE. 


Gazette,  with  the  sanction  of  the  President.  “You, 
holy  fathers,  are  indeed  the  virtuous  monks  who  do  not 
‘hide  their  talent,’  but  know  very  well,  that  none  except 
the  enlightened  Greek  understands  how  to  serve  God 
acceptably,  and  to  enjoy  the  blessings  promised  by  the 
independence  and  good  government  of  a free  nation. 
Be  assured,  holy  fathers,  that  in  this  manner  you  please 
the  government,  oblige  all  the  inhabitants  of  your  prov- 
ince, and  discharge  your  sacred  duty — by  contributing, 
notwithstanding  your  poverty,  money  enough  to  enlight- 
en the  children  of  your  country.” 

The  amount  of  subscriptions  for  free-schools,  made 
by  Greeks  from  September  1828  to  September  1829, 
and  acknowledged  in  the  government  newspaper,  was 
94,585  piastres,  or  about  6,300  dollars.  This  is 
only  a part  of  what  was  done  in  that  time  for  this 
object:  and  when  we  consider,  that  nine-tenths  of  the 
houses  in  peninsular  and  continental  Greece  were  de- 
stroyed by  the  war;  that  the  lands  had  been  extensively 
laid  waste;  that  the  people  had  few  cattle  and  imple- 
ments of  husbandry,  and,  to  a great  extent,  only  borrow- 
ed seed,  with  which  to  procure  bread  for  their  families; 
that  commerce  was  nearly  annihilated;  that  the  islands 
had  become  impoverished;  that  money  had  two  or  three 
times  the  relative  value  it  has  in  America;  and  that 
probably  not  half  of  the  subscribers  were  themselves 
able  to  read; — the  effort  must  be  considered  as  demon- 
strating a desire  for  the  growth  of  knowledge  among 
them,  quite  as  strong  as  many  times  the  amount  in 
more  favored  communities. 

There  have  been  some  distinguished  instances  of  in- 
dividual munificence,  which  do  not  enter  into  the 
above  estimate. 

A public-spirited  inhabitant  of  the  province  of  Achaia 
thus  invites  a Greek  instructor  to  take  charge  of  a 
school  he  had  established  in  the  village  of  Rachoba. 
“As  I know  you  to  be  a real  friend  of  our  country,  I 
have  requested  you  to  come  and  enlighten  our  youth. 
J have  already  dedicated  to  the  school  twelve  stremmas 


HOUSE  FOR  FEMALE  EDUCATION  AT  SYRA.  231 


of  good  land  planted  with  the  currant-vine,  with  an  olive- 
press,  a hundred  olive-trees,  and  three  stremmas  of  land 
which  I intend  to  plant  either  with  the  currant-vine,  or  the 
grape-vine.  All  these  dedications  have  been  confirmed  by 
the  bishop,  and  by  the  demogerontia  of  Calabryta  and 
Bostitsa.  I shall  be  continually  engaged  in  the  promo- 
tion of  this  good  work,  even  after  your  arrival.  The 
school-house  is  to  be  erected  on  a level  spot,  near  a 
church  of  the  prophet  Elias,  and  under  the  thick  shade 
of  a large  tree,  on  one  side  of  which  there  is  a spring 
of  very  clear  water.  Near  the  place  are  more  than 
two  stremmas  of  watered  land,  of  which  we  shall  make  a 
garden.  All  these  things,  sir,  are  prepared  for  you,  that  the 
youth  of  our  country  may  be  enlightened,  and  I hope 
we  shall  increase  them  when  Providence  permits.  Even 
at  present  we  offer  you  an  annual  salary  of  three  hun- 
dred Spanish  dollars.  Two-thirds  of  this  sum  I shall 
pay  out  of  my  purse;  the  remaining  sum  I shall  try  to 
collect  from  wealthy  gentlemen  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. Please,  sir,  to  accept  this  salar}^,  and  come  to  dif- 
fuse light  among  your  countrymen.” ll 

Another  instance,  which  we  learned  at  Andritsena  in 
Arcadia,  was  described  in  the  former  part  of  this  vol- 
ume. * 1 The  generous  patriotism  of  the  Zosimades,  was 
noticed  in  the  preceding  chapter.  It  should  be  added, 
that  the  present  head  of  the  government,  has,  with  dis- 
tinguished liberality,  given  several  hundred  thousand 
piastres  from  his  own  private  fortune,  towards  the  erec- 
tion and  support  of  the  Orphan  Asylum. J 

The  circumstances  under  which  the  house  for  fe- 
male education  rose  into  existence  in  the  island  of  Syra, 
are  interesting.  I shall  go  back  to  the  origin  of  the  en- 
terprise. A school  for  boys  and  girls  was  commenced 
in  the  populous  town  of  Hermoupolis,  in  January  1828, 
by  the  Rev.  Josiah  Brewer,  then  a missionary  of 
the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  who  guaran- 

(h)  Greek  Gazette. 

(i)  Seep.  114. 

(j)  See  his  Message  to  the  Congress  at  Argos. 


232  HOUSE  FOR  FEMALE  EDUCATION  AT  SYRA. 

teed  the  support  of  the  master  for  six  months.k  Upon 
Mr.  Brewer’s  leaving  Greece,  Doct.  Korck,  of  the 
Church-of-England  Missionary  Society,  took  charge  of 
it,  soon  after  its  commencement.  The  school  was  for 
some  time  taught  in  a large  store-room,  gratuitously 
furnished  by  Mr.  Nikas,  a respectable  Hydriote  mer- 
chant, and  soon  increased  from  60  to  120  scholars,  this 
being  as  large  a number  as  the  room  would  contain.  As 
many  parents  were  desirous  of  sending  their  children, 
but  were  prevented  by  the  want  of  room,  measures  were 
taken  to  erect  a house  large  enough  to  accommodate 
300  pupils. 

In  a brief  history  of  the  school,  which  Doct.  Korck 
placed  in  my  hands  just  before  I left  Syra,  he  says: — 
“I  often  had  the  painful  apprehension,  that  our  work 
would  be  hindered;  for,  with  the  increasing  interest  of 
the  school,  enemies  arose,  who  endeavored  to  excite 
the  people  against  me  because  I was  a Protestant.  The 
generous  Nikas,  too,  was  in  want  of  his  store-room,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  keep  school  for  eight  weeks  beneath 
a tent  spread  for  the  boys  before  my  door,  while  the  girls 
were  in  my  kitchen.  At  length  we  removed  into  the 
new  building,  yet  unfinished,  where  the  labors  of  the 
workmen  constrained  us  to  frequent  removals  from  one 
part  to  another.  The  house  was  completed  in  Septem- 
ber 1828,  and  the  number  of  children  of  both  sexes  soon 
rose  to  330. 

“The  want  of  funds,”  continues  Doct.  Korck,  “pre- 
vented us,  in  the  beginning,  from  erecting  a separate 
house  for  the  girls.  I however  so  arranged  the  school, 
that  the  two  sexes  were  in  different  parts  of  the  room. 
Yet  did  a priest,  in  one  of  the  last  carnival  sermons, 
grossly  calumniate  us  from  the  pulpit.  The  people  took 
this  conduct  of  the  priest  exceedingly  ill,  and  would  not 
suffer  him  to  preach  any  more.  I also  demanded  re- 
dress, and  he  was  compelled  to  ask  pardon  of  me  for 
the  insult.  This  circumstance  caused  me  to  think  more 


(k)  The  Board  has  paid  225  dollars  towards  the  support  of  this  school. 


HOUSE  FOR  FEMALE  EDUCATION  AT  SYRA.  233 

seriously  on  the  necessity  of  separating  the  girls  en- 
tirely from  the  boys.  Assisted  by  the  governor  of  the 
province,  I formed  a committee  of  eight  respectable 
Greek  ladies,  who,  in  the  most  encouraging  manner, 
shared  with  me  in  the  inspection  of  the  girls,  and,  by 
their  zeal  and  meritorious  conduct,  claim  the  homage  of 
my  grateful  respect.  They  alone  raised  2,200  piastres 
for  a new  school-house.” 

The  governor  gave  200  piastres  for  this  building,  and 
the  subscription  soon  rose  to  10,000.  He  also  address- 
ed a letter  of  encouragement  to  the  committee  of  ladies 
mentioned  by  Doct.  Korck.  To  this  letter  they  re- 
plied:— “Please  to  be  assured,  sir,  that  we  shall  en- 
deavor to  discharge  the  duties,  which  you  point  out  to 
us,  diligently  attending  to  all  that  may  contribute  to  the 
literary  and  moral  improvement  of  the  members  of  the 
school.  Doct.  Korck,  we  hope,  will  assist  and  guide 
us  in  all  that  we  do  not  know.  Overlooking,  therefore, 
our  weakness,  please,  sir,  to  accept  kindly  this  our  tri- 
fling service,  which  we  cheerfully  offer  to  our  country. 
As  a compensation  for  our  labor,  we  require  the  dili- 
gence and  improvement  of  the  members  of  the  school, 
which,  we  hope,  they  will  not  deny  us,  considering  the 
deep  interest  which  the  subscribers  take  in  their  wel 
fare.” 

With  two  of  these  ladies  I became  acquainted  while 
in  Syra.  One  was  from  Smyrna,  the  other  from  Con- 
stantinople, and  both  were  among  the  most  accomplish- 
ed native  females  I saw  in  the  Levant.  The  Constan- 
tinopolitan  was  young  and  beautiful,  but  was  clad  in 
mourning  weeds.  At  the  commencement  of  the  rev- 
olution, she  was  living  in  affluence  with  her  husband  in 
the  metropolis  of  the  Turkish  empire.  One  morning, 
soon  afterwards,  he  went  out,  but  no  more  returned:  he 
was  mqrdered  by  the  Turks.  By  some  means  his  wife, 
as  soon  as  she  learned  her  terrible  bereavement,  contrived 
to  escape,  with  her  mother  and  babe,  and  a part  of  their 
fortune,  to  Syra,  where  I found  them  residing.  I tried 
in  vain  to  make  her  comprehend  the  full  extent  of  priv- 


234 


THE  AMERICAN  SCHOOL  AT  SYRA, 


ileges  enjoyed  by  her  sex  in  my  own  country;  but  she 
understood  enough  to  be  anxious  that  they  should  impart 
some  of  their  rich  inheritance  of  blessings  to  their  sisters 
in  Greece,  and  she  accordingly  addressed  a letter  to 
them,  of  which  I was  made  the  bearer. 1 

The  foundations  of  the  house  for  the  female  school, 
were  laid  while  we  were  at  Syra;  and  so  important  did 
the  enterprise  appear  to  us,  that  Doct.  K.  was  author- 
ized to  draw  on  the  treasury  of  our  Board,  should 
there  be  occasion,  for  a specific  sum  to  furnish  the 
necessary  apparatus  for  the  school,  and  also  for  the 
wages  of  the  female  teacher  until  he  should  be  other- 
wise instructed  by  the  Board. 

The  school  under  the  superintendence  of  this  worthy 
missionary,  as  it  had  an  American  origin,  has  been  uni- 
formly called  “the  American  School,”  and  it  is  by  far  the 
most  interesting  one  in  Greece.  It  contained,  as  has 
been  stated,  330  pupils,  of  whom  about  one-third  were 
females.  The  pupils  were  generally  dressed  in  the  Eu- 
ropean manner,  and  their  complexion  and  appearance 
were  nearly  the  same  as  is  usual  in  schools  of  our  own 
country.  Most  of  them  were  quite  young. 

(1)  A translation  of  this  letter  has  been  published  since  my  return.  An 
extract  is  subjoined. 

“Ladies, — The  interest  you  have  taken  in  the  cause  of  Greece,  induces 
us  to  write  you  at  this  time.  Our  object  is,  to  offer  you  the  thanksgivings  of 
our  gratitude  for  the  many  benefits  you  bestow  upon  our  nation,  and  to 
gratify  your  hearts  by  informing  you  of  the  [contemplated]  erection  of  a 
building  for  a female  school.  This  information  will  be  the  more  interest- 
ing to  you,  when  the  circumstance  is  taken  into  consideration,  that  this 
will  be  the  first  building  for  a female  school  ever  erected  in  Greece. 

“To  us  it  is  a source  of  no  small  gratification  to  consider,  that  we  have 
a place  where  our  daughters  may  be  instructed  in  the  elementary  branches 
of  education,  such  as  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  geography,  needle- 
work, etc.  A committee  of  eight  mothers  has  been  appointed  to  super- 
intend this  school,  and  carefully  to  observe  all  that  respects  the  moral 
and  literary  education  of  the  girls,  the  number  of  whom  is  at  present  130. 
We  indulge  the  hope,  Ladies,  that  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  honor 
us  with  letters  of  advice,  directing  us  how  to  proceed  in  the  discharge  of 
our  duties;  and  be  assured,  we  shall  exert  all  our  powers  to  follow  your 
directions,  and  tread  in  your  steps. 

“Led,  by  our  former  experience  of  your  kindness  and  liberality,  to  hope 
for  your  generous  assistance,  and  your  very  useful  correspondence,  we 
have  already  commenced  our  work,  under  the  patronage  of  Doct.  Korck, 
the  friend  of  our  nation  and  director  of  our  school,  to  whoip  we  are  under 
the  highest  obligations.” 


THE  AMERICAN  SCHOOL  AT  SYRA. 


235 


“Besides  the  ordinary  branches  of  study,”  Doct. 
Korck  remarks,  “the  more  advanced  scholars  read  a 
scripture-lesson  every  day,  which  I take  care  to  ex- 
plain as  much  as  possible.  Every  Sabbath  morning  and 
Thursday  afternoon  the  children  recite  a portion  from 
the  Scriptures,  or  from  the  Alphabetarion,  printed  at 
your  press  at  Malta,  or  from  a compend  of  doctrines 
orderly  arranged  in  the  words  of  Scripture,  printed  at 
the  London  Society’s  press  in  the  same  place.  I often 
explain  the  decalogue  and  other  portions  of  the  Scrip- 
ture to  the  children,  when  their  parents,  friends,  and 
even  priests,  are  present.  These  hours  have  caused 
me  to  estimate  my  situation  here  as  really  worthy  of  a 
missionary;  for  often,  at  these  times,  I have  had  reason 
to  think  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  with  me  and  my  chil- 
dren; and  their  attention,  answers,  and  remarks,  have 
caused  me  to  indulge  much  hope  respecting  the  future. 
Frequently  wThen  I called  upon  them  to  write  on  their 
slates  what  they  have  understood,  I have  been  surprised 
to  find  how  well  they  comprehend  things,  which  we 
are  apt  to  think  above  the  youthful  capacity.  I must 
not  forget  to  mention  the  zeal,  with  which  many  of  them 
commit  to  memory.  They  have  often  committed,  in 
three  days,  500,  600,  1200,  and  even  1600  lines  more 
than  were  prescribed.  One  boy  learned,  in  a fortnight, 
about  6,000  lines  from  the  gospels. 

“As  soon  as  our  new  building  was  in  proper  order,  I 
engaged  a mistress  for  needle-work,  and  was  happy 
enough,  through  the  aid  of  books,  to  place  this  part  of 
female  education  on  a respectable  footing.  The  girls 
sew  and  knit  two  hours,  five  days  in  the  week."1 

“The  bishops  and  magistrates  attended  our  two  last 
examinations,  and  appeared  very  friendly.  Scriptures 
and  small  religious  books  were  given  to  the  children  as 
rewards,  even  through  the  hands  of  the  magistrates. 
Every  child  capable  of  reading  the  New  Testament  is 
furnished  with  a copy,  and  I have  observed  a great  re 


(m)  Doct.  Korck  had  from  the  beginning-  been  assisted  by  a male 
teacher,  who  received  his  appointment  from  Mr.  Brewer. 


236 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  AT  SYRA. 


formation  in  the  children,  in  respect  to  profaneness  and 
lying,  since  their  connection  with  the  school.” 

The  school-house  having  been  built  by  the  Greeks, 
at  an  expense  of  about  20,000  piastres,  and  the  teach- 
ers being  paid  out  of  the  revenues  of  the  port,  the  gov- 
ernment have  associated  three  Greeks  with  the  super- 
intendent, as  directors  of  the  school;  but  they  have  pro- 
posed no  alterations  in  the  system  of  instruction.  The 
President  has  repeatedly  encouraged  Doct.  K.  by  letter, 
and  the  governor  of  the  province  has  given  him  his  uni- 
form countenance  and  support.  Twice  has  he  been 
commissioned  to  inspect  the  schools  of  the  northern  Cy- 
clades, with  power  to  arrange  them  as  he  thought  pro- 
per; and  his  advice  and  aid  have  been  requested  from 
more  distant  places.  v 

We  had  the  pleasure  of  attending  Doct.  Korck’s 
Sabbath-school.  There  were  about  an  hundred  and 
ninety  children  present,  of  whom  seventy  were  girls — 
the  latter  all  in  the  Frank  dress,  and  twenty-six  of  them 
in  white.  They  belonged  in  general  to  the  higher 
classes  of  people. 

The  school  was  opened  with  a prayer  read  aloud  by 
the  senior  monitor,  at  the  end  of  which  the  scholars 
said,  Amen;  but  without  crossing  themselves,  as  is  cus- 
tomary in  most  Greek  schools.  This,  however,  has 
never  been  forbidden  by  the  superintendent,  nor  has  any- 
thing been  said  about  it  by  the  parents.  The  monitors 
then  heard  the  lessons  repeated  from  the  Alphabet arion, 
the  Parent’s  Assistant,  the  Summary  of  Christian 
Doctrine,  the  Psalter,  or  the  New  Testament.  This 
being  done,  the  larger  children  assemble  around  their 
teacher,  with  their  New  Testaments  in  their  hands, 
open  at  the  chapter  which  he  reads  audibly.  This  chap- 
ter be  familiarly  explains,  frequently  asking  questions, 
which  are  promptly  answered,  sometimes  by  a dozen 
simultaneous  voices.  It  was  truly  delightful  to  see  how 
the  bright  eyes  of  these  Greek  children  sparkled,  while 
they  were  hearing  and  repeating  the  glorious  truths  of 
the  gospel.  The  pupils  then  retire  to  their  seats,  and 


ORPHAN  ASYLUM  AT  jEGINA. 


237 


write  what  they  remember  on  their  slates,  while  a class 
of  smaller  children  are  called  out  to  hear  an  explanation 
of  some  part  of  the  Alphabetarion,  given  in  the  same 
Socratic  manner.  At  the  close,  such  as  have  distin- 
guished themselves  by  a diligent  and  successful  applica- 
tion to  their  lessons,  receive  tokens,  a certain  number  of 
which  entitles  them  to  specific  rewards;  and  then  the 
school  is  closed  with  a prayer,  read  by  the  monitor  as  at 
the  beginning.  Not  the  beautiful  scenery  of  Arcadia, 
nor  the  grand  prospect  from  the  acropolis  of  Corinth, 
awakened  such  an  interest  in  my  mind,  as  did  these 
children,  thus  occupied  on  God’s  holy  day. 

Doct.  Korck  said,  that  his  pupils  discovered  much 
desire  to  excel,  and  that  their  parents  took  great  inter- 
est in  the  success  of  their  studies;  and  as  the  lessons 
were  learned  at  home,  and  were  generally  studied 
aloud,  the  parents  themselves  could  not  fail  to  derive 
considerable  instruction  by  that  means. 

The  school  next  in  interest,  and  one  which  is  rising 
in  importance,  is  that  connected  with  the  Orphan  Asylum 
at  jEgina.  This  institution  originated  in  compassion  for 
the  many  unfortunate  boys,  whose  fathers  had  been 
slain  in  the  war,  and  who  had  been  redeemed  from 
captivity  in  Egypt,  or  were  hovering  about  the  camps 
of  the  Greek  army.  Sixty  of  these  boys  were  at  first 
placed  in  a house  belonging  to  a convent  in  iEgina,  160 
in  a convent  in  Poros,  and  250  in  a school  taught  by 
Niketoplos  in  Nauplion.  Some  time  in  1828,  the 
President  commenced  a quadrangular  building,  enclosing 
a large  hollow  square.  It  was  intended  to  accommodate 
600  inmates  with  dormitories,  refectories,  and  school- 
rooms, besides  a chapel,  library,  and  museum,11  and  was 
dedicated,  in  presence  of  the  government,  in  April  1829. 
The  erecting  of  this  building,  the  largest  in  Greece, 
gave  employment  and  sustenance  to  a multitude  of  poor 


(n)  The  government  has  begun  a collection  of  antiquities,  and  as  the 
law  forbids  any  farther  removal  of  antiques  from  the  country,  the  na- 
tional museum  must  ultimately  possess  great  value  and  interest.  The 
library  is  in  the  same  apartment  with  the  museum. 


238 


SCHOOL  AT  NAUPLIOSL 


people,  and  the  cost  was  defrayed  by  philhellenes  in 
Europe,  and  by  the  President  from  bis  private  fortune. 
The  number  of  orphans  in  the  institution,  at  the  period 
of  our  last  visit  to  Angina,  was  510,  more  than  half  of 
whom  were  afflicted  with  the  ophthalmia,  one  of  the 
consequences  of  their  slavery  in  Egypt.  The  rest  at- 
tended the  Lancasterian  school,  to  the  superintendence 
of  which  Niketoplos  had  been  transferred  from  Nau- 
plion.  A tribute  has  already  been  paid  to  the  enlight- 
ened and  liberal  views  of  this  monk.0  He  first  taught 
school  at  Athens,  then  at  Nauplion.  Into  the  school 
of  the  latter  place,  he  introduced  the  Alphabetarion, 
mentioned  on  the  235th  page,  and  also  his  own  epitome 
of  the  Gospels.p  He  also  printed  and  used  a series  of 
arithmetical  cards,  and  an  almost  unexceptionable  re- 
ligious tract  containing  easy  lessons  for  beginners;  and 
it  is  with  pleasure  I perceive  his  name  in  the  committee 
appointed  by  the  government  for  providing  books  for  the 
national  schools.  The  normal  school  for  the  education 
of  teachers,  is  connected  with  this  institution,  and  the 
more  forward  boys  of  the  asylum  are  to  enjoy  its  advan- 
tages. 

The  best  Lancasterian  school  in  the  Peloponnesus 
was  that  at  Nauplion,  which  had  been  under  the  care  of 
Niketoplos.  It  was  commenced  in  1826  by  an  associ- 
ation formed  in  Greece,  called  the  Philanthropic  Soci- 
ety, and  was  placed  under  the  care  of  George  Constan- 
tine, a young  Greek  who  had  been  educated  in  England 
under  the  direction  of  the  British  and  Foreign  School 
Society.  He  was  succeeded  by  Niketoplos.  The 
teacher  when  we  were  at  Nauplion,  was  a Smyrniote, 
who  learned  the  system  in  Russia  and  Germany.  The 
school  contained  130  scholars,  a part  of  whom  were 
girls,  and  was  about  to  be  made  quite  as  accessible  to  girls, 
as  to  boys.  At  the  opening  of  the  school,  one  of  the 
boys  said  a short  prayer,  which  was  ended  by  all  of 
them  crossing  themselves  according  to  Greek  rule. 

(o)  See  p.  153.,  wlmiu  Ilia  miincris  crrouooualy  spoiled-  Nkotoplos. 

(p)  See  pp.  153, 154 


SCHOOL  AT  DEMETSANA. 


239 


They  were  examined  for  our  gratification  in  the  follow- 
ing things:  viz.  scripture-lessons  by  Niketoplos,  the 
whole  of  which  some  of  them  had  committed  to  mem- 
ory— the  reading  of  the  New  Testament,  which  they  did 
without  the  chaunting  tone  so  common  in  the  east q — 
arithmetic — geography,  from  a manuscript  prepared 
by  the  teacher — and  a grammar  of  ancient  Greek,  print- 
ed at  iEgina  in  1827.  The  scholars  made  very  few 
mistakes,  were  obedient,  and  interested,  and  the  ex- 
pression of  many  countenances  denoted  a fine  genius. 

The  schools  of  Argos  for  boys  and  girls,  and  that  of 
TripoJitsa,  have  both  been  noticed,1*  They  are  deserv- 
ing of  respect,  especially  when  it  is  considered,  that 
teachers  and  pupils  were  obliged  to  toil  along  in  the 
path  of  science  with  but  little  help  from  books. 

Some  mention  has  also  been  made  of  the  schools  of 
Demetsana.s  The  pupils  in  the  Hellenic  school  were 
divided  into  five  classes; — those  who  commit  the 
grammar  to  memory — those  who  study  Lucian — 
Isocrates — Demosthenes — and  some  of  the  Greek 
poets.  We  were  told  that  geography  and  arithmetic 
are  likewise  studied  from  the  works  of  Nicophorus. 
As  there  were  only  one  or  two  copies  of  any  one 
classic  in  the  school,  and  only  one  dictionary , the  fol- 
lowing method  of  study  was  adopted.  The  teacher 
first  translated  a passage,  which  the  pupils  wrote  down 
from  his  mouth:  this  was  then  corrected  by  him,  and 
committed  to  memory  by  the  scholars.  There  being 
the  same,  and  even  a greater  scarcity  of  books  in  the 
Hellenic  schools  generally,  than  there  was  in  this,  the 
mode  of  teaching  ancient  Greek  just  described,  is  prob- 
ably a specimen  of  the  method  pursued  in  most  of  them. 
We  heard  two  or  three  pupils  examined  in  Euripides,  De- 
mosthenes, and  Isocrates,  but  the  examination  was  slight, 


(q)  Arising  from  the  fact,  that  children  are  usually  taught  to  read  in  a 
dead  language,  by  priests,  whose  tones  are  fixed  by  chaunting  the  church 
service. 

(r)  See  pp.  74  and  82. 


240  SCARCITY  OF  ELEMENTARY  BOOKS  IN  SCHOOLS. 

and  their  knowledge  seemed  to  be  superficial. — The 
Lancasterian  school  was  kept  in  a small,  incommodious 
room,  the  people  having  been  unable,  as  they  said,  to 
finish  a new  house  which  they  had  begun.  After  a 
brief  examination,  the  pupils  proceeded  into  the  yard, 
and,  with  the  members  of  the  other  school,  paraded  in 
a circle  with  flying  banners.  The  head-master  then  ad- 
dressed them,  saying,  that  their  town  had  been  built 
among  rocks,  with  no  land  to  cultivate — that  its 
only  glory  was  its  school — that  even  for  the  support 
of  this  they  must  look  for  aid  to  benevolent  foreigners — 
and  that  they  ought  to  express  their  gratitude  to  the 
Americans  who  had  promised  them  books.  Upon  this 
the  children  all  clapped  their  hands.  They  then  re- 
peated some  lessons  from  Niketoplos’s  epitome  of  the 
gospels,  and  were  dismissed. 

The  scarcity  of  books,  by  which  the  elementary 
schools  have  been  embarrassed  and  afflicted,  may  easily 
be  imagined,  when  we  consider,  that  the  whole  supply 
was  to  be  created  only  three  or  four  years  since.  A 
good  dictionary  of  the  ancient  Greek,  proper  for  schools, 
seems  not  to  exist — those  of  Gazes  and  Coumas,  though 
excellent,  being  too  expensive  for  learners  generally. 
The  only  spelling  lessons  we  found  used  in  the  Lancas- 
terian schools,  in  our  progress  through  the  Peloponne- 
sus, were  on  cards;  and  of  them  there  was  in  most 
schools  a deficiency  in  number,  and  always  a perplexing 
variety  in  kind,  some  being  printed  at  London^  some  at 
Paris,  and  some  in  Greece.  For  reading-books,  we 
found  in  two  schools  a few  copies  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, two  copies  of  a translation  of  Goldsmith’s  history 
of  ancient  Greece  in  one  school,  and  Niketoplos’s  epit- 
ome in  four.  Arithmetic  was  taught  in  four  schools,  of 
which  two  had  only  some  rude  cards  printed  at  Nau- 
plion,  and  the  others  a very  small  book  from  the  same 
press.  We  saw  printed  geographies  nowhere  in  use, 
though  a geographical  catechism  had  lately  been  pub- 
lished in  the  Ionian  Islands.  In  but  two  instances  was 
the  science  taught,  and  then  only  from  little  manuscripts 


STRONG  CLAIMS  OF  THE  GREEK  YOUTH.  241 

made  by  the  teachers.  We  saw  no  history  except  that 
of  Goldsmith.  One  Lancasterian  school,  containing 
nearly  sixty  scholars,  had  no  printed  book  whatever! — 
The  schools  of  the  iEgean  islands,  were  better  supplied 
with  the  means  of  learning  to  read;  still  there  was  the 
same  confusion  in  the  cards,  and,  so  far  as  our  observa- 
tions extended,  those  schools  were  almost  entirely  des- 
titute of  helps  to  the  study  of  arithmetic,  geography, 
grammar,  and  history.  Doct.  Korck  had  supplied 
them  extensively  with  our  Alphabetarion,  and,  through 
Mr.  Barker,  the  worthy  agent  of'' the  British  and  For- 
eign Bible  Society,  the  New  Testament  had  been  plac- 
ed in  nearly  all  of  them. — This  scarcity  of  elementary 
books  in  the  schools  was  owing  chiefly  to  the  fact,  that 
few  books  were  to  be  obtained,  there  being  but  few  in 
the  country,  and  few  in  the  language.1 

The  improvement  of  school-books  has  excited  great 
attention  of  late  years  in  the  United  States,  and  we  have 
now  so  many,  that  the  parent  is  bewildered  when  he 
attempts  to  make  a selection  for  his  children.  And  shall 
the  youth  of  Greece,  who  are  so  generally  panting  after 
knowledge,  be  refused  the  means  of  improvement?  Shall 
many  thousands  of  them  be  compelled  to  remain  long 
without  a single  intelligible  school-book,  when  the  small- 
est piece  of  silver  in  circulation  among  us,  is  sufficient  to 
furnish  a Greek  boy  or  girl  with  one,  from  which  they 
might  not  only  learn  to  read,  but  also  be  made  wise  un- 
to salvation?  Every  feeling  of  benevolence  answers,  No. 
From  whence,  then,  and  through  what  channels,  shall 
they  be  supplied? 

I have  never  believed,  that  the  President  Capo 
d’Istrias  would  obtain  much  assistance,  on  the  plan  he 
proposed  to  the  Society  for  Elementary  Instruction  at 
Paris  and  to  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
and  through  those  societies  to  the  friends  of  Greece  gen- 


(t)  There  did  not  appear  to  be  a bookseller’s  shop  in  the  whole  of  lib- 
erated Greece. 


21 


242  HOW  SCHOOL-BOOKS  ARE  TO  BE  FURNISHED. 

erally; 11  and  I intimated  to  him  my  doubts,  in  relation 
to  my  own  country,  before  I left  JEgina.  The  reasons  for 
this  opinion  are  founded  in  the  uncertainties,  to  which 
the  present  organization  of  the  Greek  government  is 
subjected,  and  in  the  universal  prevalence  of  a senti- 
ment, that  civil  governments  are  not  the  most  suitable 
dispensers  of  private  beneficence.  The  President  had 
not  himself,  probably,  any  very  sanguine  expectations; 
and  he  assured  us,  that  the  government  would  not  hin- 
der those  friends,  who  should  think  proper  to  aid  the 
people  through  other  mediums.  Some  intelligent 
Greeks  indulge  high-minded  feelings  on  the  subject  of 
gratuitous  aid,  as  if,  coming  in  that  form,  it  might  inju- 
riously affect  their  national  character;  but  they  would 
doubtless  prefer  gratuitous  aid  to  none;  and  they  should 
moreover  reflect,  that  every  individual,  and  every  asso- 
ciation, which  shall  undertake  to  provide  schools  and 
school-books  for  their  country,  will  very  gladly  have  the 
expense,  or  any  part  of  it,  refunded.  Whatever  may 
be  the  private  feelings  of  individuals,  or  of  the  govern- 
ment; whatever  their  wishes,  their  theories,  or  their  ulti- 
mate aims;  whatever  books,  whatever  systems  of  uni- 
formity, their  education-committees  may  recommend; — 
it  must  be  presumed,  that  the  present  measures  of  the 
nationa]  government  will  be  adapted  to  the  actual  cir- 
cumstances of  the  government  and  the  people,  as  well 
as  to  the  most  speedy  execution  of  that  enlightened 
system  of  education,  to  which  Greece  stands  committed 
before  the  civilized  world. 

A considerable  number  of  years  must  elapse, 
before  Greece,  unaided  from  abroad,  will  be  able  to 
supply  the  mass  of  her  citizens  with  the  means  of  ele- 
mentary instruction.  The  facts  contained  in  the  pre- 
vious pages  of  this  volume,  sufficiently  illustrate  and 
confirm  this.  The  government  does  not  hesitate  to 


(u)  The  plan  of  a loan  to  the  Greek  government.  See  Missionar}’  Her- 
ald, vol.  xxvi,  p.  44.  The  reasons  why  the  Board  could  not  make  such  a 
loan,  are  there  stated. 


THE  GREEKS  DESIROUS  OF  SUCH  AID.  243 

declare  its  inability.  “The  number  of  schools  in 
Greece,”  says  the  President,  “will  be  proportioned  to 
the  aid,  which  government  will  owe  to  the  philanthropy 
of  the  friends  of  this  nation.”  This  is  as  true,  with  re- 
spect to  the  number,  excellence,  and  seasonableness  of 
all  its  other  means  of  knowledge,  as  it  is  with  regard  to 
the  number  of  its  schools/  For  a long  time  to  come, 
the  Greek  people  cannot  be  adequately  supplied  with 
the  apparatus  of  study,  except  through  the  philanthropic 
aid  of  their  more  favored  brethren  of  other  nations;  and 
while  this  fact  will  dispose  the  Greeks  cheerfully  and 
gratefully  to  receive  such  assistance,  I hope  it  will  stim- 
ulate their  friends,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  to  ex- 
ertions in  their  behalf. 

That  the  Greek  people  do  now  earnestly  desire  such 
aid  from  their  foreign  friends,  we  had  the  most  abund- 
ant proofs  in  every  place.  With  their  own  hands  they 
can  build  school-houses  from  the  stones  and  clay  of 
their  native  soil,  but  books  they  feel  that  they  cannot 
make;  and  these  they  everywhere  solicited,  and  often 
they  accompanied  their  solicitations  by  every  argument, 
which  necessity  and  earnestness  could  suggest.  Poor 
as  the  Greeks  were — and  we  often  saw  them  houseless, 
ragged,  and  obliged  to  live  on  the  coarsest  fare — they 
seldom  importuned  us  for  anything,  except  schools  and 
school-books.™  New  Testaments,  psalters,  scripture- 
extracts,  moral  lessons,  brief  histories,  extracts  from  the 
Greek  fathers,  geographies,  arithmetics,  etc.  would 
have  been  highly  acceptable.  And  if  our  books  be 
discreetly  prepared,  no  one  will  object  against  them 
because  they  have  a religious  aspect.  The  Greeks 


(v)  I doubt  whether  a single  Greek,  on  the  committee  charged  with 
the  duty  of  providing  elementary  books,  is  acquainted  with  the  English 
language — a language,  that  is  richer  in  elementary  works  adapted  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  moral  and  intellectual  natures  of  man,  than  all  others 
combined. 

(w)  For  the  manner  in  which  Greek  boys  in  one  of  the  rocky  fastnesses 
of  Arcadia  felt,  see  p.  105.  And  how  would  the  boys  in  the  school  of 
Andritsana  have  felt,  could  we  have  given  each  of  them  a reading-book? 
Seep.  114. 


244 


IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  DESIGN. 


have  always  used  religious  books  in  their  schools,  so  that 
when  books  are  placed  in  their  hands  for  similar  uses, 
they  naturally  expect  them  to  say  more  or  less  on  the 
subject  of  religion;  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact,  on  which 
I shall  yet  have  occasion  to  remark  more  fully,  that  the 
ground  of  received  doctrines  common  to  the  Greek 
church  and  evangelical  Christians  in  Protestant  coun- 
tries, is  so  broad,  that  there  is  much  room  for  Christian 
effort,  without  necessarily  awakening  prejudice.* 

To  the  unthinking,  there  will  be  nothing  very  splen- 
did in  a system  of  measures  designed  to  furnish  elemen- 
tary principles  for  the  youthful  mind.  But,  unless  I great- 
ly err,  this  is  the  most  effectual  manner  of  rectifying  and 
ennobling  the  character  of  a people  like  the  Greeks, 
who  have  just  emerged  from  a debasing  slavery  of  four 
hundred  years.  I am  sure  it  is  the  only  manner,  in 
which  Christians  of  the  west  can  reach,  to  any  great 
extent,  the  springs  and  elements  of  the  national  charac- 
ter of  Greece.  We  must  aim  to  introduce  the  princi- 
ples of  the  gospel  into  their  general  system  of  instruc- 
tion. This  will  be  publishing  the  gospel.  It  will  be 
acting  m accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  ascending 
Saviour’s  last  injunction,  as  really  as  proclaiming  the 
gospel  from  the  pulpit  would  be.  And  the  amount  of 
regenerating  influence,  which  only  a few  of  the  vital 
principles  of  Christianity  would  exert,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  if  generally  inculcated  among  the  Grecian  youth 
— who  can  tell!  And  if  it  should  appear,  that  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  the  gospel  are  admitted  by  Grecian 
writers  of  acknowledged  authority,  what  a door  would 


(x)  The  government  designs  that  religious  books  shall  be  used  in  the 
Lancasterian  schools.  The  Secretary  on  Ecclesiastical  Affairs  and  Pub- 
lic Instruction  thus  charges  the  teachers,  in  an  official  letter  dated  Octo- 
ber 1829: — “Finally,  considering  how  great  and  exalted  are  the  duties  of 
those  who  profess  the  business  of  instructing,  you  will  make  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  which  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,  the  foundation  of  learning  in  the 
tender  hearts  of  children.  You  will,  of  course,  teach  them  the  sacred 
catechism,  and  being  instructed  by  that  in  the  true  duties  of  the  Christian, 
they  will  at  the  same  time  learn  the  duties  of  the  good  citizen,  by  the  ap- 
plication of  the  principles  of  correct  morality  to  the  heavenly  law  of  the 
holy  gospel.’’ 


PRINTING  ESTABLISHMENTS. 


245 


this  open  for  evangelical  effort,  and  what  an  inducement 
would  it  hold  out  to  make  such  an  effort!  That  elemen- 
tary books  of  foreign  origin,  will  ultimately  be  super- 
seded in  the  schools  by  others  of  purely  Greek  manu- 
facture, is  indeed  highly  probable.  But  then,  should 
they  have  enlightened  only  a few  minds,  those  few 
may  be  instrumental  of  incalculable  good.  And  cer- 
tainly, the  more  numerous  the  works  of  this  kind  are, 
which  are  thrown  into  the  country,  the  more  likely  it  is 
that  they  will  have  worthy  successors;  for  the  more 
abundant  will  be  the  materials  brought  within  reach  of 
the  Greek  authors,  and  the  higher  will  be  the  standard 
of  excellence  towards  which  those  authors  will  aspire. 
Should  the  Alphabetarion,  published  by  the  American 
missionaries  at  Malta,  cease  from  this  time  to  be  used, 
the  influence  it  has  exerted  will  not  thereby  be  destroy- 
ed, and  the  book  which  shall  take  the  place  of  it,  will 
be  found,  no  doubt,  to  have  copied  many  of  its  excel- 
lencies.7 The  design  would  be  fraught,  therefore,  with 
inconceivable  interest,  if  our  aim  were  merely  to  assist 
the  Greeks  in  preparing  their  own  books  of  education; 
but  the  case  becomes  one  of  distressing  urgency,  when 
we  reflect  upon  the  certain  consequences  of  compelling 
the  Greeks,  notwithstanding  their  present  embarrass- 
ments and  necessary  disqualifications,  to  perform  the 
whole  work,  unaided  and  unbefriended. 

There  are  three  separate  printing  establishments  now 
in  the  Mediterranean,  which  are  employed,  more  or 
less,  in  furnishing  elementary  books  for  liberated  Greece. 
These  establishments  belong  to  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  the  London  Missionary  Society,  and  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, and  are  all  at  present  in  the  island  of  Malta.  The 
first  is  provided  with  the  means  of  printing  in  Greek, 
Italian,  Arabic,  Amharic,  and  Ethiopic;  the  second,  in 


(y)  This  reading-book,  consisting  of  two  parts,  and  120  pages  18mo, 
has  hitherto  been  popular  in  Greece.  Mr.  King  sold  five  hundred  copies 
of  the  second  edition  in  two  weeks.  This  was  in  the  island  of  Tenos. 
*21 


246 


PRINTING  ESTABLISHMENTS. 


Italian  and  Greek;  and  the  third,  in  Italian,  Greek, 
Arabic,  Armenian,  and  Armeno-Turkish,  or  the  Turkish 
language  in  the  Armenian  character.2  But  until  quite 
recently,  neither  of  these  establishments  did  much  in  the 
department,  that  has  been  the  subject  of  our  remarks — 
the  demand  for  elementary  books  having  been  neither 
so  great,  nor  so  well  understood,  as  it  now  is.  The 
principal  effort  has  been  to  furnish  religious  instruction 
for  such  of  the  people  around  the  shores  of  the  Medi- 
terranean, as  have  enjoyed,  to  some  extent,  the  advan- 
tages of  education.  To  this  end  the  conductors  of  these 
presses  have  labored  with  great  diligence  and  success. 
I have  not  the  means  of  accurately  stating  the  number 
of  works,  which  have  been  issued  from  the  English 
presses.  A schedule  of  our  own  publications  is  given  be- 
low, in  which  it  will  be  seen,  that  about  180,000  books  in 
the  modern  Greek  language,  were  printed  within  a little 
more  than  seven  years.a  Since  my  return  from  the 
Mediterranean,  instructions  have  been  given  to  employ 
the  Greek  press,  for  the  present,  almost  wholly  in  the 
production  of  school-books.11 


(z)  A fourth  establishment,  designed  to  print  exclusively  in  modern 
Greek,  is  about  to  be  set  up  in  some  part  of  liberated  Greece,  by  the 
American  Episcopal  Missionary  Society. 

(a)  Publications  of  the  American  Mission  press  at  Malta  from  the  com- 
mencement of  its  operations  in  July  182 2,  to  December  31,  1829. 


In  Greek, 

In  Italian, 

In  Armeno-Turkish, 
Total, 


180,650  copies. 
- 74,500  “ 

21,000  “ 

276,150  “ 


7.568.400  pages. 

2,253,000  “ 

824,000  “ 

10.645.400  “ 


The  Armenian  and  Arabic  founts  were  obtained  through  Mr.  King's 
influence,  when  he  was  in  France  and  England.  The  last  arrived  in 
Malta  quite  recently. 

(b)  The  instructions  above  referred  to,  were  given  to  the  Rev.  Daniel 
Temple,  on  his  return  to  Malta,  early  in  the  present  year.  An  extract  is 
here  subjoined. 

“Among  the  Greeks  there  are  many  cultivated  minds;  and,  in  the  com- 
mon mass  of  uninstructed  intellect,  there  is  not  a little  of  that  vivacious  and 
elastic  nature,  which  was  so  discernible  in  the  ancient  inhabitants  of 
Greece.  The  spirit-stirring  events  of  the  revolution  have,  also,  had  an 
exciting  influence.  Still  the  Greek  people,  as  a body,  are  not  prepared  to 
apprehend,  or  be  interested  in,  the  publications,  taken  collectively,  either 
of  our  tract,  or  sabbath-school  societies;  nor  will  they  be,  till,  through  the 


PRINTING  ESTABLISHMENTS. 


247 


I have  dwelt  longer  on  this  part  of  the  subject  than  I 
should  have  done,  had  I not  been  deeply  convinced  of 


influence  of  education,  they  have  acquired  more  taste  for  reading  and 
serious  thought. 

The  works  most  needed,  therefore,  are  those  of  an  elementary  charac- 
ter, and  the  more  simple  they  are,  the  better.  These  will  prepare  the 
way,  in  time,  for  all  kinds  of  useful  knowledge.  Accompanied  by  the 
Bible,  they  will  be  the  most  effectual  barrier  against  the  floods  of  scepti- 
cism, that  are  likely  to  pour  in  upon  Greece  from  infidel  Europe.  Let 
much  of  your  time  be  devoted  to  elementary  principles.  Gain  the  ear  of 
the  youth,  and  endeavor  to  associate  indissolubly  in  their  minds,  the  ru- 
diments of  knowledge  with  the  first  principles  of  the  gospel.  The  influ- 
ence of  such  a course  will  be  silent,  unostentatious,  and  gradual;  but  rea- 
soning on  the  known  connection  between  cause  and  effect,  and  relying  on 
the  grace  of  God,  we  may  be  sure  that  the  next  generation  will  exemplify 
its  salutary  results  on  individual  and  national  character. 

“When  the  elementary  works  have  been  provided,  it  will  deserve  con- 
sideration, whether  a series  of  books  shall  not  be  printed  for  the  purpose 
of  introducing  them  into  the  schools  as  reward-books,  and  for  juvenile 
libraries.  Such  a series  might  embrace  a wide  range  of  subjects,  and 
every  description  of  writing,  and  might  be  adapted  to  every  degree  of 
youthful  intelligence.  The  publications  issued  from  our  press  while  you 
were  at  Malta,  with  some  exceptions,  and  some  modifications  adapting 
them  professedly  to  the  use  and  benefit  of  youth,  might  form  the  series 
contemplated  in  these  remarks.  And  there  are  two  considerations,  which 
powerfully  urge  us,  for  the  present,  to  adapt  most  of  our  publications  to 
the  youth  of  those  countries.  The  first  is,  that  the  youth  manifest  the 
strongest  desire  to  possess  our  books,  and  the  greatest  curiosity  to  exam- 
ine them.  The  second  is,  that  books  addressed  to  the  youth  would,  for 
that  reason,  be  received  with  less  jealousy  by  parents,  and  would  be  none 
the  less  adapted  to  the  state  of  intelligence  in  the  adult  population. 

“Remember,  dear  sir,  that  the  field  inviting  you  to  this  species  of  labor, 
is  a country,  which  is  associated  with  some  of  the  most  brilliant  triumphs 
of  the  human  mind;  and  with  a people,  who,  after  four  centuries  of  politi- 
cal and  mental  degradation,  have  asserted  their  freedom,  and  are  anxious 
to  establish  and  perpetuate  free  institutions;  and  who,  with  barely  the 
means  of  sustenance  for  their  families,  are  calling  for  reform  in  their 
methods  of  instruction,  and  for  schools  and  school-books  corresponding 
with  the  spirit  of  the  age/'7 — See  Missionary  Herald,  vol.  xxvi,  p.  74. 

I add  force  to  the  remarks  that  have  been  made  on  the  feelings  of  the 
Greeks  respecting  the  operations  of  mission-presses,  by  quoting  from 
Mr.  Smith's  last  report  concerning  our  printing  establishment  at  Malta. 

“The  ports  of  the  Ionian  Republic,77  he  says,  “are  not  only  open  for  the 
admission  of  our  publications,  without  any  hindrance,  but,  so  far  as  we 
have  learned,  there  exists  among  the  Greek  population  of  those  islands  no 
prejudice  against  them,  unless  to  a small  extent  in  one  of  them.*  This 
opinion  is  confirmed  by  the  fact,  that  propositions  have  been  made  to  me, 
by  more  than  one  Ionian  gentleman,  to  print  works  that  they  had  been 
preparing  for  publication;  which  they  would  not  have  done,  had  they  sup- 
posed that  the  name  of  our  press  upon  the  title  page  would  hinder  their 
sale. 

“YVe  love  to  compare  Greece  with  Italy,  in  reference  to  the  spirit  of  its 
government  and  its  inhabitants.  So  far  are  the  ports  of  that  interesting 


* Cefalonia.  Seep.  191. 


248 


ON  THE  INSTITUTION  OF  SCHOOLS. 


its  importance.  With  respect  to  the  other  part — the 
establishment  of  schools — little  more  need  be  said.  We 
can  establish  Lancasterian  schools,  if  we  please,  in  many 
of  the  villages  of  Greece,  and  particularly  in  the  central 
and  southern  provinces  of  the  Peloponnesus;  and  a dis- 
creet agent,  residing  on  the  spot,  and  acquainted  with 
the  language,  manners,  and  prejudices  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, may  exert  an  influence  resembling  what  Doct. 
Korck  has  exerted  at  Syra,  though  probably  not  so 


country  from  being  closed  against  us,  that  Doct.  Korck  has,  for  a long  time, 
and  I believe  from  his  first  arrival  at  Syra,  had  all  the  duties  on  the  large 
quantity  of  books  received  by  him  remitted  by  the  custom-house  officers: 
and  the  gentleman  at  Nauplion,  to  whose  care  most  of  our  books,  destined 
for  Greece,  have  been  sent  for  the  last  six  months,  writes  me,  that  he  has 
arranged  with  the  government  there  about  landing  all  our  effects  free  of 
all  custom-house  duties.  This  is  done  professedly  for  the  reason,  that 
these  books  are  benevolent  donations  for  the  good  of  the  country.  With 
such  a wide  door  opened  for  their  admission,  it  might  be  expected  that  a 
proportionably  wide  field  would  be  found  for  their  circulation.  To  say 
that  there  is  no  prevailing  prejudice  against  them,  would  be  saying  little. 
I do  not  recollect  having  met,  in  travelling  through  the  country,  one  in- 
stance of  prejudice.  It  may  exist  in  individuals,  but  it  is  most  decidedly 
not  the  general  feeling. 

“The  teacher  of  the  Lancasterian  school  in  the  government  orphan 
asylum  at  AEgina,  and  member  of  the  committee  recently  appointed  by 
government  for  the  revision  of  school-books  and  tables,  not  only  requested 
us  to  print  two  school-books  of  his  composition,  but,  in  spite  of  my  dis- 
suasions, wrote  the  request  in  a formal  letter  to  be  printed  in  the  books; 
thus  showing  that  he  knew  of  no  reason  why  his  name  should  not  go 
through  the  nation  in  connection  with  our  own,  and  that  of  our  press. — A 
priest  in  one  of  the  islands  (Tenos)  requested  me  to  give  him  the  name  of 
our  society,  that  it  might  be  suspended  in  their  school-room  as  one  of  the 
objects  to  be  mentioned  in  the  daily  prayers  of  the  children,  out  of  grati- 
tude for  our  books. — The  governor  of  the  northern  Cyclades,  on  my  being 
introduced  to  him  as  a director  of  the  press  at  Malta,  took  occasion  spe- 
cially to  commend  their  schools  to  our  assistance  in  the  way  of  printing 
school-books.  On  the  whole,  my  firm  impression  is,  that  the  name  of  our 
press  on  our  tracts  is  a decided  recommendation  to  a Greek,  as  the  name 
of  America  is  associated  in  his  mind  with  benevolence,  and  such  is  known 
to  be  the  distinct  object  of  this  individual  establishment. 

“The  occasion  does  not  call  for  an  explanation  of  the  causes  of  this  dif- 
ference between  Greece  and  Italy,  but  I cannot  help  mentioning  as  one, 
that,  in  the  former,  the  people  at  large  have  an  extraordinary  thirst  for  ed- 
ucation, and  the  governmem  and  clergy  are  forward  to  provide  it  univer- 
sally; while  in  the  latter,  both  the  temporal  and  spiritual  authorities  are 
extremely  jealous  of  it.  The  desire  for  our  publications  in  Greece  is 
most  decidedly  owing  in  a great  measure  to  this  almost  feverish  thirst  for 
education;  and  it  is  very  generally  for  the  purpose  of  using  them  as  school- 
books, that  they  are  sought.— There  is  not  the  least  reason  for  hesitation, 
therefore,  in  affirming,  that,  for  school-books,  there  is  the  greatest  demand  in 
Greece” — See  Missionary  Herald , vol.  xxvi,  pp.  175,  176. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  IONIAN  ISLANDS.  249 

great.  Female  education  presents  a most  interesting 
field,  particularly  in  the  islands,  and  in  the  larger  mari- 
time towns  of  the  peninsula.  Nowhere  can  the  wives 
of  missionaries,  if  they  are  properly  qualified,  be  more 
useful  than  they  may  now  be  in  Greece,  through  this 
medium.  It  is  a field,  which  the  government  can 
scarcely  be  said  to  have  yet  occupied,  even  in  intention, 
and  it  is  one,  which  they  will  be  most  likely  to  surren- 
der to  our  control.0  Indeed  it  will  be  time  enough  to 
say  we  cannot  form  schools  everywhere  according  to 
our  pleasure,  when  we  find  our  benevolent  career  ar- 
rested by  the  power  of  government,  or  of  invincible 
prejudice  in  the  people. d 

The  system  of  instruction  established  in  the  Ionian 
Islands,  must  exert  considerable  influence  on  liberated 
Greece,  both  by  affording  teachers  for  that  country,  and 
by  furnishing  a model  for  imitation.  On  this  account, 
as  well  as  from  its  bearing  upon  the  Ionian  Greeks 
themselves,  a brief  description  will  be  proper. 

Duly  to  estimate  the  importance  of  this  system  to  the 
people  of  the  Seven  Islands,  we  must  recur  once  more 
to  their  condition  when  under  Venetian  authority.  Ac- 
cording to  a respectable  author,  the  Ionians  were  not 
then  allowed  to  establish  a national  school;  and  elemen- 
tary instruction,  so  far  as  it  existed,  fell  necessarily  into 
the  hands  of  ignorant  ecclesiastics.  The  poorer  classes, 
that  is,  the  people  generally,  had  neither  inducement,  nor 
opportunity  to  study  their  ancient  literature,  or  cultivate 
their  language.  Even  the  use  of  their  vernacular 
tongue,  the  modern  Greek,  was  frowned  out  of  po- 


(c)  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King1  have  collected  an  interesting  female  school  in 
St.  Nicholas,  on  the  island  of  Tenos,  which  they  conduct  on  Christian 
principles. 

(d)  Classical,  or  academical  schools  are  needed,  and  there  is  no  reason 
why  the  government  should  at  present  interfere  in  their  management,  as  it 
is  not  in  a situation  to  bear  the  support  of  them.  It  would  be  worth  an 
experiment,  to  know  whether  the  permanent  direction  of  a literary 
seminary  would  be  granted  to  foreigners  in  Greece,  on  the  ground  of 
their  being  the  founders  of  such  an  institution. 


250  EDUCATION  IN  THE  IONIAN  ISLANDS. 

lite  circles,  as  vulgar.  Italian  was  the  language  of  re- 
fined society,  and  of  the  government;  in  it  the  laws  were 
written;  in  it  judicial  proceedings  were  transacted.  The 
more  wealthy  Greeks  sent  their  sons  to  Venice  or 
Padua  for  instruction;  and  there  they  were  taught  how 
to  be  Venetian  subjects,  rather  than  to  be  learned,  vir- 
tuous, and  useful  men.  As  if  to  seduce  the  Ionian 
youth  into  a neglect  even  of  the  advantages  of  those 
places,  they  were  allowed  to  purchase  a diploma  of 
doctor  of  arts,  upon  passing  a superficial  examination, 
and  producing  a certificate  that  they  had  completed 
their  private  studies.  In  all  the  islands,  Venetian  man- 
ners, family  and  local  feuds,  and  sentiments  at  variance 
with  national  and  patriotic  feelings,  were  seduously  en- 
couraged.6 

Under  the  French,  the  Greek  language  was  restored 
to  public  acts  and  good  society,  the  Greek  religion  was 
fostered,  feuds  were  discouraged,  and  the  schools  of 
Italy  and  France  were  opened  to  the  natives  of  the  isl- 
ands. 

The  present  constitution  declares  the  modern  Greek 
to  be  the  established  and  proper  language  of  the  repub- 
lic, and  that  it  is  desirable  this  language  should  be  the 
sole  medium  of  judicial  proceedings  and  official  acts. 
Yet,  because  such  an  innovation  seemed  too  great  to  be 
made  at  once,  all  public  affairs,  with  the  exception  of 
proceedings  in  the  minor  courts,  were  permitted  to  be 
transacted  in  the  Italian  language  for  the  space  of  five 
years.  The  laws  are  now  published  both  in  Italian  and 
Greek. 

The  constitution  provides  also  for  the  general  and 
liberal  education  of  the  people.  It  enjoins  upon  the 
government,  as  one  of  its  earliest  and  most  imperious 
duties,  the  institution  of  elementary  schools  in  the  first 
place,  and  afterwards  of  an  university.  Accordingly  a 
system  of  instruction  has  been  devised  by  the  govern- 
ment, and  is  going  into  effect  in  all  the  islands.  It  is 


(e)  Vaudoncourt, 


SCHOOLS  IN  THE  IONIAN  ISLANDS. 


251 


composed  of  three  parts;  viz.  Primary  or  elementary 
schools — Secondary  or  classical  schools — and  an  Uni- 
versity. 

The  primary  schools  are  on  the  plan  of  mutual 
instruction.  In  the  principal  town  of  each  island  there 
is  one,  which  serves  as  a model  for  the  others,  and  for 
the  education  of  teachers.  In  the  village-schools,  the 
parent  or  guardian  pays  one-fourth  of  a dollar  monthly 
for  each  child  he  engages  to  send  to  the  school.  The 
teacher  receives  about  ten  dollars  a month.  And 
whenever  a sufficient  number  of  pupils  is  pledged  in  any 
village  to  defray  a certain  proportion  of  the  expenses, 
the  government  sends  a master  to  commence  a school. 
The  pupils  are  engaged  for  two  years.  It  is  not  hon- 
orable to  the  peasantry,  nor  is  it  promising  for  the 
schools,  that  many  parents  refuse  to  meet  their  pe- 
cuniary engagements,  until  constrained  to  do  so  by 
the  civil  authority. 

In  the  islands  which  came  under  our  observation, 
there  were,  at  the  commencement  of  the  year  1829, 
seventy-five  schools  for  mutual  instruction,  containing 
about  2,500  pupils.  We  gained  no  precise  information 
as  to  the  number  of  schools  in  Cerigo  and  Paxo,  but 
may  venture  to  estimate  the  whole  number  of  pupils  in 
the  primary  schools  of  the  Ionian  Islands,  at  that  time, 
to  have  been  not  less  than  3,000/ 

Reading,  writing,  and  the  first  principles  of  arithme- 
tic, are  taught  in  these  schools;  but  there  is  great  em- 
barrassment suffered  here,  as  well  as  in  liberated 
Greece,  for  want  of  books. 

A late  regulation  gives  to  the  principals  of  the  clas- 
sical schools  the  special  oversight  of  elementary  in- 


(f)  The  average  number  of  boys  (girls  there  were  none)  in  the  schools 
of  Cefalonia  was  46,  of  Ithaca  4*3,  of  Corfu  36,  of  Zante  33,  of  Santa 
Maura  13.  The  schools  of  Santa  Maura  were  among  the  first  established. 
The  people  of  that  island  are  poor. 

It  appears  from  an  official  report,  that  from  August  1829  to  March 
1830,  there  were  83  schools  established  in  the  Ionian  Islands,  containing 
2,700  scholars.  The  number  of  all  the  scholars  in  the  primary  schools 
of  the  islands,  may  now  be  nearly  or  quite  6,000. 


252 


SCHOOLS  IN  THE  IONIAN  ISLANDS. 


struction  in  their  respective  islands — in  subordination, 
of  course,  to  the  general  superintendent,  who  resides 
at  Corfu,  and  is  principal  of  the  classical  school  in  that 
city. 

Most  of  the  secondary  schools  are  of  recent 
establishment.  They  occupy  a middle  ground  between 
the  primary  schools  and  the  university,  and  are  design- 
ed to  prepare  young  men  for  the  latter  institution. 
Each  island  has  one  of  these  schools,  in  which  there 
were,  on  an  average,  somewhat  over  a hundred  schol- 
ars. Every  school  was  furnished  with  two  or  three 
teachers.  The  course  of  study  embraces  a period  of 
four  years,  and  the  ancient  Greek,  Latin,  Italian,  and 
English  languages,  with  arithmetic,  algebra,  geography, 
geometry,  and  penmanship.  The  government  has 
printed  a specific  code  of  laws  in  Greek  and  Italian  for 
these  seminaries,  from  which  it  appears  that  more  than 
two-thirds  of  the  student’s  time  is  devoted  to  languages.2 
In  the  Levant  this  species  of  learning  is  more  prevalent 
and  more  valued,  than  any  other;  and  indeed,  what  can 
be  more  convenient,  or  necessary,  where  so  many  na- 
tions, each  with  a different  tongue,  are  crowded  and 
mingled  together?  We  repeatedly  found  young  men 
able  to  converse  fluently  in  three  or  four  languages, 
whose  minds  were  nearly  empty  in  respect  to  all  philo- 
sophical and  religious  truth.  The  language  most  used 
in  the  Levant  is  the  Italian;  we  visited  few  places  in 
which  it  was  not  more  or  less  understood. 

The  principals  of  the  classical  schools  receive  a 
monthly  salary  of  sixty  dollars,  and  are  required  to 
make  frequent  reports  of  the  state  of  their  respective 
institutions  to  a general  committee  for  public  instruc- 
tion, consisting  of  one  ecclesiastic  and  two  laymen, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  watch  over  the  interests  of  educa- 
tion in  all  the  islands. 


(g)  The  relative  proportions  of  time  devoted  to  the  several  studies, 
may  be  indicated  by  numbers  thus: — Ancient  Greek  17,  English  15,  Latin 
9,  Italian  9,  Mathematics  11,  Geometry,  4,  Geography  3,  Logic  3,  Pen- 
manship 2. 


IONIAN  UNIVERSITY. 


253 


The  Ionian  University,  established  at  Corfu, 
owes  all  its  importance  to  the  munificence  of  that  well 
known  English  nobleman,  Lord  Guilford.  It  is  said  to 
date  its  origin  as  far  back  as  1807,  when  the  islands 
were  in  the  possession  of  the  French;  but  it  properly 
commenced  its  existence  in  the  year  1823,  when  Sir 
Frederic  Adam  received  the  appointment  of  Lord  High 
Commissioner.  Then  Lord  Guilford,  who  had  formed 
the  design  of  an  university  seven  years  before,  and  had 
been  zealously  contending  all  that  time  with  obstacles  in 
the  way  of  his  benevolent  schemes,  obtained  the  coun- 
tenance of  government,  endowed  an  university,  and  was 
appointed  its  archon,  or  chancellor.  From  that  time 
till  his  death  in  1827,  his  fortune  and  his  time  were  de- 
voted to  this  seminary.  He  used  his  influence  to  ob- 
tain patronage  from  the  Ionian  government;  he  paid  the 
salaries  of  many  of  its  instructors;  he  sent  young  Greeks 
to  the  universities  of  England  to  be  educated  for  pro- 
fessors; he  supported  beneficiaries  within  the  walls  of 
his  own  university;  and  rendered  the  collection  of  modern 
Greek  literature  in  the  library  of  the  university  per- 
haps the  most  complete  in  the  world.11  After  his  death, 
the  government  was  obliged  to  reduce  the  number  of 
professors  from  seventeen  to  nine,  which  is  the  number 
at  present.  Several  of  those,  who  were  dismissed,  have 
since  been  placed  at  the  head  of  classical  schools. 

The  old  government  house  has  been  appropriated  to 
the  university.  The  professors  are  supported  by  the 
government,  and  deliver  their  instructions  in  the  form  of 
lectures,  each  spending  about  two  hours  a day  in  this 
manner.  Tuition  is  gratuitous.  The  studies,  accord- 
ing to  an  official  document,  are  in  the  Greek,  Latin, 
Italian,  and  English  languages  and  literature,  the  math- 
ematics, the  natural  sciences,  logic,  and  metaphysics, 
together  with  theology  and  law.  The  two  last  named 
form  distinct  departments;  that  for  theology  is  called 

(h)  We  are  unable  to  state  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  Library  of 
the  University  with  any  certainty.  The  most  probable  estimate  made  it 
eight  or  ten  thousand. 

22 


254 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


the  Theological  Seminary,  and  will  receive  a particular 
notice.  Three  years  are  devoted  to  the  other  studies. 
The  number  of  students  in  the  university  was  sev- 
enty-five. We  found  the  city  of  Corfu  an  expensive 
place  for  strangers,  but  the  Greek  student  may  live 
respectably  there  on  eight  dollars  a month. 

The  local  jealousies  of  the-islanders,  each  of  whom 
is  still  too  much  inclined  to  regard  his  own  little  island 
as  his  country,  have  prevented  the  university  from  gain- 
ing as  much  popularity  as  it  deserves;  but  the  classical 
schools,  by  equalizing  more  nearly  the  advantages  of 
education  among  the  several  islands,  have  prepared  the 
way  for  its  gaining  in  public  favor. 

A theological  seminary  within  the  pale  of  the 
Greek  church,  instituted  by  Greeks,  and  with  the 
declared  design  of  “raising  the  Greek  clergy  of  the 
Ionian  Islands  from  their  present  declension  to  that  rank 
which  shall  qualify  them  happily  to  influence,  by  their 
instructions  and  example,  the  morals  and  manners  of 
the  people,” — is  an  interesting  object  of  contemplation. 
I shall  therefore  explain  the  nature  of  the  institution,  so 
far  as  I am  enabled  to  do  so  by  authentic  documents.1 

The  government  provides  for  the  support  of  thirty- 
nine  beneficiaries,  to  be  received  from  the  different  isl- 
ands in  certain  fixed  proportions.^  If  more  are  ad- 
mitted, they  must  be  supported  from  their  own  re- 
sources, or  by  private  beneficence.  The  requisites 
for  admission  as  beneficiaries  of  government,  are  these: 
— the  student  must  be  a native  Ionian — must  have 
completed  the  age  of  seventeen  years — must  have  gone 
through  the  studies  of  the  secondary  schools — must  be 
certified  by  the  bishop  of  his  island  to  possess  a good 
moral  character — must  have  n 6 physical  defect,  or 


(i)  My  principal  authority  is  a copy  of  regulations  for  the  seminary, 
adopted  November  1828,  and  printed  in  Italian  and  modern  Greek. 

(j)  Eight  from  each  of  the  islands  of  Corfu,  Cefalonia,?  and  Zante, 
six  from  Santa  Maura,  and  three  from  each  of  the  islands  of  Ithaca, 
Cerigo,  and  Paxo. 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


255 


organic  disease — must  have  had  the  small  pox  in  the 
natural  manner,  or  by  inoculation,  or  have  been  vac- 
cinated— and  must  belong  to  a respectable  family.  On 
admission  he  is  required  to  declare  on  oath,  that,  being 
informed  of  all  the  regulations  emanating  from  govern- 
ment for  the  seminary,  he  becomes  a member  of  the  in- 
stitution in  order  to  acquire  that  knowledge  which  is 
necessary  to  the  proper  performance  of  the  duties  of  a 
Christian  minister;  and  that  he  will  obey  all  the  laws  of 
the  seminary,  will  submit  to  his  superiors,  and  live  in 
fraternal  amity  with  his  bellow- students. 

The  dress  of  the  beneficiaries,  and  all  the  articles  of 
their  wardrobes  and  furniture,  are  prescribed  with  exact 
particularity.  They  must  “wear  a long  black  gown, 
and  over  this  a black  cloak  of  bombazette  still  longer, 
with  broad  sleeves,  and  the  borders  lined  with  a cloth  of 
purple  color;  and  must  gird  the  body  above  the  inner 
gown  with  a sash  of  crimson-colored  silk.”  The  head 
must  be  covered  with  a black  cap,  and  the  hair  be  al- 
lowed to  grow  long,  and  hang  about  the  shoulders,  in 
the  common  manner  of  the  Greek  clergy.  Numerous 
rules  are  also  given  for  the  conduct  of  the  students,  and 
some  cautions  are  administered,  which  indicate  a sad 
state  of  morals  among  the  people.  An  exclusion  from 
society  is  enjoined,  that  has  an  air  of  monastic  rigidity, 
but  probably  it  is  no  greater  than  prudence  requires. 

The  student  ordinarily  remains  five  years  in  the  sem- 
inary. At  the  end  of  that  time,  if  his  age  be  suitable, 
and  he  has  obtained  the  different  degrees,  he  may  re- 
ceive orders  as  a deacon,  or  presbyter.  If  a student 
renounce  his  clerical  profession,  and  retire  from  the  sem- 
inary without  sufficient  reasons,  he  is  required  to  refund 
the  expenses  incurred  by  the  government  on  his  account, 
and  may  be  debarred  from  all  public  employments;  and 
the  remaining  students  are  forbidden  to  have  intercourse 
with  him. 

The  statutes  define  the  studies  of  the  seminary  to  be 
theology,  and  whatever  goes  to  illustrate  theology,  togeth- 
er with  the  ecclesiastical  services  and  ceremonies.  From 


256 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


other  sources  we  learned,  that  the  summary  of  Chris- 
tian divinity,  by  Platon,  late  metropolitan  of  Moscow, 
translated  into  modern  Greek  by  Coray,  with  some 
additions  by  the  university  professor  of  divinity,  is 
at  present  used  as  a text-book;  and  we  have  the 
authority  of  Professor  Bambas  for  saying,  that  Platon’s 
work  gives  a faithful  representation  of  the  doctrines 
sanctioned  by  the  highest  uninspired  authorities  of  the 
Greek  church. k The  theological  students  may  attend 
the  various  lectures  of  the  university:  and  if  they  have  a 
taste  for  music,  they  are  instructed  in  that  which  is 
practiced  in  their  churches.  In  their  vacations,  they 
are  required  to  be  taught  the  theory  of  agriculture. 

Twice  a month,  on  the  Sabbath,  the  professor  of 
sacred  hermeneutics  and  the  principal  of  the  semina- 
ry, who  is  also  professor  of  ethical  theology,1  are 
expected  alternately  to  preach  a sermon  before  the 
students,  adapted  to  the  gospel  of  the  day;  and  they 
are  to  discuss,  and  to  enforce  upon  the  attention  of  their 
pupils,  all  those  religious  virtues,  which  are  so  indispen- 
sable to  the  station  for  which  the  beneficiaries  are  in- 
tended, and  all  those  virtues  which  are  designed  to  bless 
man  in  his  numerous  social  relations.  The  students, 
also,  are  to  be  exercised  in  preaching,  at  the  discretion 
of  their  professors;  morning  and  eveping  they  must  at- 
tend prayers  in  the  public  hall,  with  the  principal  and 
tutors;  and  frequent  confession  is  enjoined  upon  them. 
When  they  have  completed  their  studies,  the  general 
committee  of  education, — say  the  statutes, — “being 
assured  of  their  talents  and  morality,  shall  give  them  the 
preference  in  the  nomination  proposed  to  government 
of  teachers  and  assistants  of  secondary  and  primary 
schools.  All  those,  however,  who  may  be  distinguished 
in  the  exercise  of  pulpit  eloquence,  shall  be  appointed 
as  preachers  in  the  different  islands;  and  according  to 
the  conduct  of  the  students,  the  reputation  they  shall 


(k)  This  book  will  be  noticed  in  a subsequent  chapter. 
‘(1)  H8/k,m  QeoKoytct. 


FEMALE  EDUCATION  IN  THESE  ISLANDS.  257 

have  acquired,  and  the  information  and  evidence  in 
possession  of  government,  they  shall  be  preferred  in  the 
filling  of  vacancies,  which  occur  in  ecclesiastical  digni- 
ties.”— The  number  of  students  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  in  the  early  part  of  1829,  was  about  twenty. 

It  only  remains  to  repeat  the  fact,  that  Professor 
Bambas  is  at  the  head  of  this  important  seminary,  and 
that  he  is,  moreover,  the  ecclesiastical  member  of  the 
general  committee  on  education. 

I have  thus  briefly  explained  that  system  of  education, 
which  is  supported  by  the  Ionian  government  at  an 
annual  expense,  as  we  were  informed,  of  18,000  dollars. 
Possibly  the  system  may  be  too  much  incumbered  with 
minute  regulations  having  the  force  of  law,  but  I know 
too  little  of  the  Ionian  character  to  be  confident  on  this 
point.  Sufficient  time  has  not  elapsed  for  a fair  exper- 
iment to  be  made,  or  for  the  government  to  ascertain 
the  best  mode  in  all  respects  of  accomplishing  its  phi- 
lanthropic designs. 

Thd  reader  will  observe,  that  this  system  makes  no 
provision  for  the  instruction  of  females.  That  whole  in- 
teresting field  is  nearly  a waste,  and  we  regretted  to  see, 
that  strong  prejudices  among  the  people  opposed  its  be- 
ing brought  under  cultivation.  But  who  will  regard 
such  prejudices  as  invincible?  Already  some  impression 
had  been  made  upon  them  in  Ithaca,  by  the  excellent 
Doct.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy.  And  the  female  seminary 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickson  in  Cefalonia,  patronized  by 
the  government,  is  also  exerting  a favorable  influence.111 
So  is  a young  ladies’s  boarding  and  day-school,  estab- 
lished two  or  three  years  since  in  the  city  of  Corfu,  and 
patronized  by  the  public  authorities.  In  January  1829 
there  was  a Lancasterian  school  for  girls  commenced  at 
Corfu,  through  the  agency  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowndes, 
and  under  the  patronage  of  government.  Of  forty  girls 
composing  the  school  in  April  1829,  only  two  knew  their 


*22 


(m)  See  p.  138. 


258  FEMALE  EDUCATION  IN  THESE  ISLANDS. 

letters  when  they  entered.  Greek  and  English  studies 
are  here  pursued,  with  the  first  principles  of  arithmetic, 
plain  needle-work,  and  the  manufacture  of  straw-bon- 
nets. Mrs.  Lowdes  devotes  much  of  her  time  to  this 
school,  one  of  the  principal  objects  of  which  is  to  in- 
struct poor  Greek  females  in  what  manner  to  support 
themselves. 

The  subject  of  female  education  in  the  Ionian  Islands 
has  strong  claims — perhaps  upon  the  attention  of  the 
American  churches — certainly  upon  that  of  our  breth- 
ren in  Great  Britain.  The  Ionians  are  less  prepared, 
indeed,  for  efforts  in  relation  to  that  object,  than  are 
many  of  the  newly  liberated  Greeks;  but  a cautious  es- 
tablishment of  female  schools,  upon  a system  that  has 
an  obviously  practical  tendency,  is  indispensable  to  the 
complete  success  of  the  system  which  has  been  describ- 
ed as  going  into  operation. 

There  is  still  a considerable  number  of  private  schools 
in  these  islands,  resembling  those  which  have  been 
pronounced  so  useless  in  liberated  Greece.  Their  teach- 
ers are  generally  village  priests;  and  as  the  primary 
schools  on  the  improved  plan  have  operated  unfavor- 
ably to  theirs,  these  priests  have  sometimes  endeavored, 
and  with  success,  to  prejudice  the  people  against  the 
innovations  thus  attempted  upon  their  old  customs. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 


Considerations  imparting  an  interest  to  the  Greek  church— Ancient  churches  of 
Corinth  and  Athens— Seminary  at  Athens— Bishoprics  in  Greece  in  the  fourth 
century — View  of  the  decline  of  the  Greek  church , and  of  the  introduction  of 
some  of  its  more  remarkable  usages — Gospel  contaminated  by  false  philosophy 
— Progress  towards  a splendid  ritual— Regeneration  believed  to  result  from 
baptism — Origin  of  the  prejudice  against  marriage — Rise  of  inonachism — 
Christianity  becomes  the  religion  of  the  Roman  empire — Multiplication  of 
churches — Rise  of  picture  and  image  worship — Invocation  of  departed  saints — 
Private  confession — Pilgrimages,  etc.— Origin  of  masses — Festivals — The 
church  oppressed  with  rites  and  ceremonies — General  councils — Idolatry  at  its 
height — Controversy  on  the  subject — Councils — Triumph  of  idolatry — Contro- 
versy respecting  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost — Greek  fondness  for  con- 
troversy— Ignorance  of  the  Scriptures — Vain  effort  to  unite  the  eastern  and 
western  churches— Fall  of  Constantinople— Attempts  of  the  Roman  pontiff  to 
subject  the  Greek  church  to  his  authority —Correspondence  between  the 
German  reformers  and  the  Greek  patriarch — The  patriarch  Cyril  Lucaris — 
His  opinions  anathematized — Doctrine  of  transubstantiation  adopted  by  the 
Greek  church — Reflections. 

When  the  traveller  in  Greece  lights  upon  the  ruins  of 
some  far-famed  ancient  structure,  and,  seated  upon  a 
fragment  among  the  broken  columns,  allows  his  imagi- 
nation to  ascend,  through  a long  series  of  ages,  to  the 
time  when  those  columns  were  reared, — he  finds  his 
mind  kindle  into  enthusiasm.  Such  emotions  I some- 
times had  in  that  country,  while  contemplating  the  re- 
mains of  the  Greek  Church — a monument  far  more 
interesting,  than  any  which  pagan  Greece  has  transmit- 
ted to  these  times.  It  was  reared  by  apostolical  hands. 
It  connects  its  history  with  that  of  the  whole  Christian 
church;  and,  like  the  ancient  church  of  God,  was  made, 
in  a peculiar  sense,  the  depository  of  the  divine  oracles, 
in  their  original  language — even  of  that  part  of  them, 
which  unfolds  the  wonders  of  redemption.  These  it 
preserved,  uncorrupted,  through  ages  of  darkness,  till 
the  art  of  printing  placed  them  out  of  danger.  We  re- 


260 


ANCIENT  CHURCH  OF  CORINTH. 


member  the  honor,  which  God  in  past  ages  conferred 
upon  it.  We  remember,  also,  its  fidelity  to  its  trust,  and 
its  claims  to  the  gratitude  of  the  whole  Christian  world. 
— And  now,  we  shall  rejoice  to  see  the  fountain  of  the 
waters  of  life,  of  which  that  church  was  so  long  the 
trusty  guardian,  opened  again  to  its  members,  and 
the  graces  and  virtues  of  piety  universally  restored. 

A history  of  the  Greek  church  does  not  enter  into 
my  design,  neither  does  a full  exhibition  of  its  doc- 
trines, usages,  and  discipline.  A brief  view  is  all  I shall 
attempt,  which  I shall  preface  with  a rapid  sketch  of  the 
decline  of  the  church  from  its  original  standard  of  faith 
and  practice,  as  well  as  of  the  introduction  of  some  of 
its  more  remarkable  usages.  My  leading  object,  through- 
out, will  be  to  shew,  in  what  respects  a reform  is  desir- 
able.i and  what  there  is  to  encourage  the  expectation  of 
one. 

The  remarks  upon  the  ancient  church  of  Corinth,  in 
the  former  part  of  this  volume,  were  written  upon  the 
spot  wThere  that  city  stood,  and  while  the  utter  desolation 
visible  around,  urged  the  mind  to  seek  relief  in  agreeable 
recollections.  I fear  a dispassionate  attention  to  St. 
Paul’s  epistles  would  lead  to  less  favorable  conclusions, 
and  perhaps  would  justify  even  the  severity  of  Milner, 
who  thought,  that  v7hile  no  church  of  the  apostolic  age 
wras  more  numerous,  none  probably  had  less  of  a Chris- 
tian spirit.  The  admonitions  of  the  apostle,  however, 
exerted  a very  salutary  influence  upon  its  members;  and 
towards  the  close  of  the  first  century,  we  hear  Clement, 
that  fellow-laborer  of  Paul  whose  name  was  declared  to 
be  in  the  book  of  life,  addressing  them  in  these  terms 
of  high  commendation: 

“What  strangers,  that  came  among  you,  did  not  take 
honorable  notice,  formerly,  of  the  firmness  and  fulness  of 
your  faith?  Who  of  them  did  not  admire  the  sobriety  and 
gentleness  of  your  godly  spirit  in  Christ?  Who  did  not 
extol  the  liberal  practice  of  your  Christian  hospitality? 
How  admirable  was  your  sound  and  mature  knowledge 


ANCIENT  CHURCH  OF  CORINTH. 


261 


of  divine  things.  Ye  were  wont  to  do  all  things  without 
respect  to  persons;  and  ye  walked  in  the  ways  of  God 
in  due  subjection  to  your  pastors,  and  submitting  your- 
selves the  younger  to  the  elder.  Ye  charged  young 
men  to  attend  to  the  gravity  and  moderation  becoming 
the  Christian  character;  young  women  to  discharge  their 
duties  with  a blameless,  holy,  and  chaste  conscientious- 
ness, to  love  their  husbands  with  all  suitable  tenderness 
and  fidelity,  and  to  guide  the  house  in  all  soberness  and 
gravity.  Then  ye  all  showed  a humble  spirit,  void  of 
boasting  and  arrogance,  more  ready  to  obey  than  to 
command,  more  ready  to  give  than  to  receive.  Con- 
tent with  the  divine  allotments,  and  attending  diligently 
to  the  word  of  Christ,  ye  were  enlarged  in  your  bowels 
of  love,  and  Jiis  sufferings  on  the  cross  were  before 
your  eyes.  Hence  a profound  and  happy  peace  was 
imparted  to  you  all;  an  unwearied  desire  of  doing  good, 
and  a plentiful  effusion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  were  with  you. 
Full  of  holy  counsel,  in  all  readiness  of  mind,  with  god- 
ly assurance  of  faith,  ye  stretched  forth  your  hands  to 
the  Lord  Almighty,  intreating  him  to  be  gracious  to  you, 
if  in  any  thing  ye  unwillingly  offended.  Your  care  was 
day  and  night,  for  all  the  brethren,  that  the  number  of 
his  elect  might  be  saved  in  mercy  and  a good  con- 
science. Ye  were  indeed  sincere  and  harmless, 
forgiving  one  another.  All  dissension  and  schism  in  the 
church  was  abominable  to  you;  ye  mourned  over  the 
faults  of  your  neighbors;  ye  sympathized  with  their  in- 
firmities as  your  own;  ye  were  unwearied  in  all  good- 
ness, and  ready  to  every  good  work.  Adorned  with  a 
venerable  and  upright  conversation,  ye  performed  all 
things  in  his  fear;  and  the  law  of  God  was  written  deep 
indeed  on  the  tables  of  your  hearts.” 

Yet  these  encomiums  were  not  applicable  when 
Clement  wrote  his  epistle,  but  some  time  before,  per- 
haps not  long  after  the  apostle’s  last  visit  to  Corinth. 
Pride,  ambition,  and  schism,  had  again  distracted  the 
people,  and  it  was  under  the  pressure  of  these  evils, 
that  they  asked  counsel  of  the  church  at  Rome,  and 


262 


ANCIENT  CHURCH  OF  ATHENS. 


thus  gave  occasion  for  the  letter  which  has  been  quoted. 
Clement  next  describes  the  decline  of  their  piety. 

“Thus,  when  all  glory  and  enlargement  were  given 
to  you,  that  Scripture  was  fulfilled,  ‘Jeshurun  waxed 
fat  and  kicked.’  Hence  envy,  strife,  dissension,  perse- 
cution, disorder,  war,  and  desolation  have  seized  your 
church.  ‘The  child  has  behaved  himself  proudly  against 
the  ancient,  and  the  base  against  the  honorable,  the 
mean  against  the  eminent,  and  the  foolish  against  the 
wise.’  Hence  righteousness  and  peace  are  far  from 
you;  because  ye  all  leave  the  fear  of  God,  and  your 
spiritual  sight  is  become  too  dim  to  be  guided  by  the 
faith  of  the  Gospel.  Ye  walk  not  in  his  ordinances,  nor 
walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  Christ;  but  ye  all  walk  too 
much  according  to  your  own  evil  lusts,  nourishing  and 
cherishing  a malignant  spirit  of  envy,  by  which  the  first 
death  came  into  the  world.”  a 

Corinth  was  favored  with  a zealous  pastor,  near  the 
close  of  the  second  century;  and  the  letters  which  he 
addressed  to  the  churches  of  Lacedaemon,  Athens,  and 
some  other  places,  evince  a commendable  interest  in  the 
cause  of  Christ,  and  lead  us  to  think  that  the  church, 
over  which  he  presided,  still  had  an  honorable  standing 
in  the  Christian  commonwealth.  b 

Dionysius  the  Areopagite  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
first  pastor  of  the  church  at  Athens.  Publius,  who  sub- 
sequently sustained  the  office,  was  martyred  in  the 
reign  either  of  Trajan,  or  Adrian.  After  this  afflictive 
event,  religion  declined  for  a season,  the  public  assem- 
blies were  deserted,  the  zeal  of  the  church  languished, 
and  its  manners  were  corrupted.  Quadratus  succeed- 
ed in  restoring  order  and  discipline,  and  pure  religion 
immediately  revived.  “One  of  the  strongest  testimo- 
nies of  these  things,  is  the  account  which  the  famous 
Origen,  in  the  second  book  of  his  treatise  against  Celsus, 
gives  of  the  Athenian  church.  While  this  great  man 
is  demonstrating  the  admirable  efficacy  of  Christian  faith 


(a)  Milner,  cent.  i.  ch.  15. 


(b)  Milner,  cent.  ii.  ch.  8. 


ANCIENT  BISHOPRICS  IN  GREECE. 


263 


on  the  minds  of  men,  he  exemplifies  his  positions  by 
this  very  church  of  Athens,  on  account  of  its  good  or- 
der, constancy,  meekness,  and  quietness.  He  repre- 
sents it  as  infinitely  superior,  in  these  respects,  to  the 
common  political  assembly  in  that  city,  which  was  fac- 
tious and  tumultuary.  He  affirms  that  it  was  evident, 
that  the  worst  paths  of  the  church  were  better  than  the 
best  of  their  popular  assemblies.  This  is  a very  pleas- 
ing testimony  to  the  growth  of  Christianity,  since  the 
time  that  a handful  of  seed  was  sown  there  by  St.  Paul: 
and  let  the  testimony  of  so  penetrating  and  sagacious  an 
observer  as  Origen  be  considered,  as  one  of  the  many 
proofs  that  might  be  given  of  the  happy  effect  which 
real  Christianity  has  on  human  society.  To  a mind  not 
intoxicated  with  vain  ideas  of  secular  glory,  the  Chris- 
tian part  of  Athens  must  appear  infinitely  more  happy 
and  more  respectable,  than  that  commonwealth  ever 
had  been  in  the  meridian  of  its  glory.”  c While  Adrian 
was  at  Athens  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated  in  the 
Eleusinian  mysteries  of  the  Grecian  mythology,  and 
when  persecutions  against  the  members  of  the  Athenian 
church  were  becoming  sanguinary,  Quadratus  presented 
him  an  apology  for  the  gospel,  which  was  not  wholly 
without  the  desired  effect. 

In  the  fourth  century,  Athens  contained  a seminary  of 
learning,  at  which  the  young  men  of  that  period,  who 
could  afford  it,  were  accustomed  to  complete  their  ed- 
ucation. Basil  of  Caesarea  and  Gregory  Nazianzen 
were  educated  in  that  seminary.  The  school  was 
flourishing  as  late  as  the  sixth  century. 

It  is  interesting  to  glean  even  these  few  notices  re- 
specting the  principal  Christian  churches  in  districts  so 
renowned  in  pagan  times,  as  Attica  and  the  Peloponnesus. 

A learned  writer  on  Christian  antiquities  has  stated, 
that,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  fourth  century,  there  were 
not  less  than  twenty-six  bishoprics  in  the  Roman  prov- 
ince of  Achaia;  which  embraced  the  island  of  Eubcea, 


(c)  Milner,  cent.  ii.  ch.  2. 


264  COMMENCEMENT  OF  DECLINE  IN  THE  CHURCH. 

that  which  is  called  continental  Greece  on  the  map  in  this 
volume,  and  the  Peloponnesus.  In  Euboea  there  were 
four  bishoprics;  in  the  Peloponnesus,  nine;  and  thirteen 
in  the  other  division.  The  cathedral  churches  of  the 
Peloponnesian  dioceses,  were  at  Corinth  and  Argos,  in 
the  modem  Argolis;  at  Tegea  and  Megalopolis,  in  Ar- 
cadia; at  Helice  and  Patrse,  in  Achaia;  at  Lacedaemon, 
in  Laconia;  and  at  or  near  Messene  and  at  Corone,  in 
Messenia.  In  Epirus,  on  the  western  shore  of  the  con- 
tinent, including  Acarnania,  there  were  twenty-six  bish- 
oprics. In  Thessaly,  on  the  eastern  side,  there  were 
eleven.  The  large  province  of  Macedonia,  on  the 
north,  contained  seventeen.  In  the  island  of  Crete, 
where  Titus  preached,  there  were  eleven.  The  Aegean 
islands  contained,  also,  eleven  dioceses,  which  received 
their  respective  names  from  Rhodes,  Samos,  Chios, 
Coos,  Naxos,  Paros,  Thera,  Delos,  Tenos,  Melos, 
and  Carpathos.n 

It  is  very  probable  that  the  Christian  religion  was 
early  diffused  over  Greece;  and  from  the  proximity  of 
the  islands  and  cities  above  named  to  some  of  the  most 
renowned  of  the  primitive  churches,  we  may  suppose 
that  the  light  of  the  pure  gospel  shone  upon  most  of 
them,  before  the  last  of  the  apostles  was  removed  from 
the  world.  We  have  more  unequivocal  proofs,  how- 
ever, of  the  decline  of  spiritual  life  in  the  church  of 
Greece,  than  we  have  of  the  precise  extent  of  its  prev- 
alence. Already  have  we  witnessed  the  commence- 
ment of  this  decline  in  the  church  at  Corinth,  before 
the  end  of  the  first  century.  The  passion  of  the  Greeks 
for  novelty  and  learned  distinctions,  betrayed  them  into 
forgetfulness  of  Paul’s  caution  against  ‘‘philosophy  and 
vain  deceit,”  and  they  ventured  to  mingle  the  Gnostic 
fantasies,  and  the  Platonic  refinements  and  subtleties, 
with  the  simplicity  of  the  gospel.  They  also  began  to 
make  advances  towards  that  gorgeous  ritual,  which  at 
length  assimilated  the  services  of  the  Christian  churches 


(d)  Bingham’s  Chr.  Anliq.  vol.  iii.  pp.423 — 426. 


PROGRESS  TOWARDS  A SPLENDID  RITUAL.  265 


to  those  of  the  pagan  temples.  Their  worship  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  eyes  and  the  imaginations  of  the  people, 
rather  than  to  the  great  Searcher  of  hearts. 

These  changes,  besides  gratifying  a taste  in  the  illit- 
erate multitude  for  pomp  and  splendor,  must  have  ac- 
commodated the  prejudices  of  both  Jews  and  heathens; 
and  this  was  one  of  the  purposes,  for  which  they  were 
made.6  There  are  also  other  reasons  assigned  by 
writers  on  ecclesiastical  history.  Believing  that  a close 
analogy  subsisted  between  the  Levitical  economy  and 
the  Christian  religion,  the  sacerdotal  orders  of  the 
church  began  early  to  aspire  to  the  ranks,  rights,  and 
privileges,  that  were  conferred  upon  the  consecrated 
orders  under  the  Mosaic  dispensation.  Bishops  were 
believed  to  be  the  successors  of  the  chief  priests,  pres- 
byters the  successors  of  the  common  priesthood,  and 
deacons  the  successors  of  the  Levites;  and  hence  J;he 
claim  to  tithes  and  first-fruits,  as  belonging  to  the  clergy 
by  a divine  right;  hence  splendid  garments,  and  other 
circumstances  of  external  grandeur;  and  hence,  too, 
the  notion,  that  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord’s  supper  is  an 
oblation,  or  sacrifice,  and  not  a mere  commemoration  of 
a sacrifice: — for,  it  must  be  noted,  that  the  great  mystery 
of  iniquity,  which  at  length  undermined  the  influence  of 
the  doctrines  of  atonement  and  of  justification  by  faith 
alone,  began  early  to  work  in  the  church  of  God. 

When  a spirit  of  worldliness  had  entered  the  church, 
and  when  its  ministers,  not  having  faith  in  the  power 
and  grace  of  Christ,  thought  of  sustaining  and  propa- 


(e)  u A remarkable  passage  in  the  life  of  Gregory,  surnamed  Thauma- 
turgus,  i.  e.  the  wonder-worker,  will  illustrate  this  point  in  the  clearest 
manner.  The  passage  is  as  follows:  ‘When  Gregory  perceived  that  the 
ignorant  multitude  persisted  in  their  idolatry,  on  account  of  the  pleasures 
and  sensual  gratifications  which  they  enjoyed  at  the  pagan  festivals,  he 
granted  them  a permission  to  indulge  themselves  in  the  like  pleasures,  in 
celebrating  the  memory  of  the  holy  martyrs,  hoping,  that,  in  process  of 
time,  they  would  return,  of  their  own  accord,  to  a more  virtuous  and  regu- 
lar course  of  life.’  There  is  no  sort  of  doubt,  but  that,  by  this  permission, 
Gregory  allowed  the  Christians  to  dance,  sport,  and  feast,  at  the  tombs  of 
the  martyrs,  upon  their  respective  festivals,  and  to  do  every  thing  which 
the  pagans  were  accustomed  to  do  in  their  temples,  during  the  feasts  cele- 
brated in  honor  of  their  gods.” — Mosheim’s  Eccl.  Hist.  cent.  ii.  ch.  iv. 

23 


266  RITES  AND  CEREMONIES  MULTIPLIED# 

gating  his  religion  only  by  a carnal  policy;  then  they 
sought  to  give  dignity  to  the  gospel  in  the  view  of  pagans, 
by  throwing  a mystic  air  over  its  institutions.  The 
name  of  mysteries  was  given  to  its  plain  and  simple 
rites,  and  men  were  initiated  into  these  pretended  mys- 
teries by  imposing  formalities.  Thus  they  endeavored 
to  divest  the  religion  of  Christ  of  that  “foolishness,”  in 
the  estimation  of  the  pagan  Greek,  which  it  had  when 
preached  by  the  apostle  Paul. 

A plausible  reason  for  multiplying  the  external  rites 
of  the  church,  was  found  in  the  ignorance  and  narrow 
capacities  of  many,  who  were  thought  to  need  the  aid 
of  visible  representations,  in  order  to  understand  the 
truths  of  the  gospel.  Representations,  addressed  to  the 
senses,  had  long  been  customary  in  the  pagan  religions 
of  the  east,  and  this  doubtless  hastened  their  adoption  in 
the  church.  It  was  by  them  the  flood-gates  were  open- 
ed to  that  idolatry,  which,  not  many  ages  afterwards, 
distracted,  divided,  and  desolated  Christendom. 

I have  elsewhere  remarked,  that  the  modern  Greek 
worships  with  his  face  towards  the  rising  sun.f  Such 
was  the  custom  of  all  the  ancient  pagan  nations  in  that 
part  of  the  world,  founded  in  the  notion  that  God  was  a 
finite  being,  and  dwelt  in  that  quarter  of  the  heavens. 
The  early  Christians,  while  they  attributed  an  all-per- 
vading presence  to  Jehovah,  retained  the  custom  of 
worshipping  him  with  their  faces  towards  the  east.5 
Such  is  one  account  of  the  rise  of  this  custom.  It 
should  be  stated,  however,  that  the  ancients  attribute 
to  it  another  origin.  They  say,  that  the  east  is  the 
symbol  of  Christ,  who  is  called  the  Morning  Star,  the 
Light,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness;  and  that,  as  they 
must  worship  towards  some  quarter,  they  chose  that 
which  was  most  agreeably  significant.11 

In  the  third  century  the  rites  and  ceremonies  were 
multiplied.  Tncense  began  to  be  used  in  many  churches. 


(f)  Seep.  115. 

(g)  Mosheim,  cent.  ii.  pt.  ii.  ch.  iv. 

(E)  Bingham’s  Christ.  Antiq.  vol.  v.  p.  277. 


BAPTISM  MISTAKEN  FOR  REGENERATION.  267 

Baptism  was  now  performed  only  in  the  presence  of 
such  as  had  been  initiated  into  the  Christian  mysteries, 
and  regeneration  was  thought  to  be  the  immediate 
effect  of  this  rite.  Previous  to  its  administration,  how- 
ever, the  exorcist  employed  his  professional  skill  (for 
exorcism  was  made  a profession)  to  liberate  the  per- 
son from  the  power  of  Satan.  The  origin  of  this  super- 
stition is  found  in  the  opinions  of  the  times.  “The 
Christians,  in  general,  were  persuaded,  that  rational 
souls,  deriving  their  existence  from  God,  must  conse- 
quently be  in  themselves  pure,  holy,  and  endowed  with 
the  noble  principles  of  liberty  and  virtue.  But  upon 
this  supposition,  it  was  difficult  to  account  for  the  cor- 
rupt propensities  and  actions  of  men  any  other  way, 
than  by  attributing  them  either  to  the  malignant  nature 
of  matter,  or  the  influence  and  impulse  of  some  evil 
spirit,  who  was  perpetually  compelling  them  to  sin. 
The  former  of  these  opinions  was  embraced  by  the 
Gnostics,  but  was  rejected  by  true  Christians,  who  de- 
nied the  eternity  of  matter,  considered  it  as  a creature 
of  God,  and  therefore  adopted  the  latter  notion,  that  in 
all  vicious  persons  there  was  a certain  evil  being,  the 
author  and  source  of  their  corrupt  dispositions  and  their 
unrighteous  deeds.  The  driving  out  of  this  demon  was 
now  considered  as  an  essential  preparation  for  baptism, 
after  the  administration  of  which,  the  candidates  return- 
ed home,  adorned  with  crowns,  and  arrayed  in  white 
garments,  as  sacred  emblems — the  former  of  their  vic- 
tory over  sin  and  the  world,  the  latter  of  their  inward 
purity  and  innocence.”  1 In  this  manner,  and  so  early, 
did  the  doctrine  of  spiritual  regeneration  and  remission 
of  sins,  as  a consequence  of  baptism,  find  a place  in  the 
Christian  church.  As  an  effect  of  this  opinion,  baptism 
was  called  the  water  of  life,  the  spiritual  birth,  the  re- 
generation of  the  soul,  the  laver  of  regeneration,  sal- 
vation, the  seal  of  immortality,  and  by  other  names  of 
similar  import.  It  was  attended  with  the  ceremonies  of 


(i)  Mosheim,  cent.  iii.  pt.  ii.  ch.  iv. 


268 


RISE  OP  MONACHISM. 


stripping  off  the  clothes,  making  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
clothing  in  white  raiment,  carrying  lighted  tapers,  giving 
the  kiss  of  peace,  etc.  And  as  the  ancients  turned  to- 
wards the  east,  when  they  worshipped  God,  so  they 
faced  the  west,  when,  at  their  baptism,  they  renounced 
the  devil — “the  west  being,”  says  Cyril  of  Jerusalem, 
“the  place  of  darkness,  and  Satan  is  darkness,  and  his 
strength  is  darkness.”  So  Jerome  says,  “We  first  re- 
nounce him  who  is  in  the  west,  who  dies  to  us  with  our 
sins;  and  then,  turning  about  to  the  east,  we  make  a 
covenant  with  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  promise 
to  be  his  servants.” j 

The  Lord’s  supper  was  now  celebrated  with  more 
ceremony  and  display,  than  in  the  previous  century,  and 
the  bishops,  departing  still  farther  from  the  ancient  sim- 
plicity, began  to  model  their  sermons  according  to  the 
rules  of  the  rhetoricians.  The  custom  of  frequent  fast- 
ing was  growing  into  repute;  so  also  was  celibacy:  and 
both  of  these  facts  are  attributed  by  Mosheim  to  a prev- 
alent belief,  that  they  who  took  wives,  and  they  who 
pampered  themselves  with  delicious  fare,  were  specially 
subject  to  the  influence  of  malignant  demons.  The 
sign  of  the  cross  was  regarded  as  a sure  defence  against 
the  snares  and  assaults  of  this  species  of  enemies. 

The  theory  of  monasticism  is  said  to  be  founded  in 
the  notion,  that  the  monk,  by  denying  himself  the 
pleasures  of  the  world,  and  devoting  himself  to 
suffering,  makes  an  atonement  for  the  sins  and  fol- 
lies of  his  brethren,  who  remain  exposed  to  the  storms 
and  temptations  of  the  world.  This  being  admitted,  it 
would  be  natural  to  suppose,  that  the  more  numerous 
the  monks  became,  the  better  would  it  be  for  mankind.k 
The  monkish  orders  do  not  appear,  however,  to  have 


(j)  Bingham’s Chr.  Antiq.  vol.  iv.  p.  284. 

(k)  Brit.  Quar.  Theol.  Rev.  xv.  p.  118.  A similar  impiety  may  be  seen  in 
relation  to  the  episcopal  office.  “The1  orthodox  church/7  saysde  Stourdza, 
“regards  the  bishops  as  holocausts,  smoking  on  the  high  places,  an  atone- 
ment for  the  sins  of  her  children;  and  she  believes  that  the  holiness  of  the 
sacrifice  can  only  be  perfected  by  celibacy/7  Thus  he  accounts  for  the 
practice  of  taking  the  prelates  only  from  convents. 


MULTIPLICATION  OF  CHURCHES. 


269 


had  their  origin  in  this  dangerous  notion.  Nor  do  the 
monks  in  general  appear  to  have  been  actuated  so  much 
by  a benevolent  regard  for  the  good  of  others,  as  by  an 
apprehension  that  monastic  austerities  would  contribute 
materially  to  their  own  salvation.  Sequestered  from  the 
noise  and  temptations  of  the  world,  in  the  wilderness  and 
solitary  places,  the  early  monks  expected,  by  extraor- 
dinary fasting  and  prayer,  to  make  extraordinary  attain- 
ments in  sanctity.  Considering  that  paganism  had  long 
afforded  examples  of  this  anti-social  life,  in  the  arid  and 
burning  climates  of  Egypt,  Syria,  Mesopotamia,  and 
India,  where  the  mind  naturally  inclines  to  indolence 
and  melancholy,  we  might  expect  to  see  a Christian 
imitation  of  it  in  the  &ame  countries.  Accordingly,  in 
the  third  century,  while  persecution  was  raging  in 
Egypt,  a young  man  of  lower  Thebais,  possessing 
wealth,  learning,  and  piety,  retired  to  solitary  mountains, 
lived  ninety  years  as  a hermit,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
one  hundred  and  thirteen.  History  recognizes  him  as 
the  father  of  monkery.  He  probably  mistook  the  path 
of  his  duty,  and  it  is  certain  his  example  led  the  way  to 
enormous  evils,  which  still  afflict  the  greater  part  of  the 
Christian  world. 

We  now  enter  the  fourth  century,  in  the  early  part  of 
which  Constantine  the  Great  became  master  of  the 
Roman  world,  and  Christianity  the  religion  of  the  em- 
pire. The  change  was  vast  in  its  consequences;  yet 
the  downfall  of  paganism  could  not  have  produced,  at 
the  time,  any  very  striking  changes  in  the  external 
worship  of  the  empire:  for  gorgeous  robes,  mitres, 
tiaras,  wax-tapers,  crosiers,  processions,  lustrations, 
images,  gold  and  silver  vases,  and  many  such  circum- 
stances of  pageantry,  were  to  be  seen  in  the  Chris- 
tian churches  scarcely  less  than  they  had  been  in  the 
pagan  temples.1 

The  churches,  before  the  time  of  Constantine,  were 
simple  structures.  He  everywhere  erected  magnificent 


(1)  Mosheim,  cent.  ii.  pt.  ii.  ch.  iv. 

*23 


270 


RISE  OF  IMAGE-WORSHIP. 


edifices,  modelled,  in  some  respects,  according  to  the 
Jewish  temple.  Some  of  these  were  built  in  retired 
places  over  the  tombs  of  martyrs,  where  divine  service 
was  performed  only  on  particular  occasions;  others 
were  erected  for  the  daily  assemblies  of  Christians. 
“At  this  time,”  says  a learned  historian  of  the  church, 
“it  was  looked  upon  as  an  essential  part  of  religion  to 
have  in  every  country  a multitude  of  churches;  and 
here  we  must  look  for  the  true  origin  of  what  is  called 
the  right  of  patronage , which  was  introduced  among 
Christians  with  no  other  view  than  to  encourage  the 
opulent  to  erect  a great  number  of  churches,  by  giving 
them  the  privilege  of  appointing  the  ministers  that  were 
to  officiate  in  them.  This  was  a new  instance  of  that 
servile  imitation  of  the  ancient  superstitions  which 
reigned  at  this  time;  for  it  was  a very  common  notion 
among  the  people  of  old,  that  nations  and  provinces 
were  happy  and  free  from  danger,  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  fanes  and  temples,  which  they  consecrated 
to  the  worship  of  gods  and  heroes,  whose  protection 
and  succor  could  not  fail,  as  it  was  thought,  to  be  shed 
abundantly  upon  those,  who  worshipped  them  with  such 
zeal,  and  honored  them  with  so  many  marks  of  venera- 
tion and  respect.  The  Christians  unhappily  contracted 
the  same  erroneous  way  of  thinking.  The  greater  the 
number  of  temples  was  which  they  erected  in  honor  of 
Christ,  and  his  chosen  friends  and  followers,  the  more 
sanguine  did  their  expectations  grow  of  powerful  suc- 
cors from  them,  and  of  a peculiar  interest  in  the  divine 
protection.  They  were  so  weak  as  to  imagine  that  God, 
Christ,  and  celestial  intelligences,  were  delighted  with 
those  marks  and  testimonies  of  respect,  which  captivate 
the  hearts  of  wretched  mortals.”  m 

The  Roman  church  pretends,  that  there  was  an 
apostolic  council  at  Antioch,  in  which  not  only  the  use, 
but  the  worship,  of  images  was  authorized  by  the  apos- 

(m)  Mosheim.  cent.  iv.  pt.  ii.  ch.  iv. — The  reader,  by  recurring  to  pp. 
58  and  178,  will  see  that  the  modern  Greeks  have  a propensity  to  multi- 
ply churches. 


RISE  OF  IMAGE-WORSHIP. 


271 


ties;  but  that  is  certainly  a fiction.  Neither  pictures, 
nor  images  were  allowed  in  the  churches,  during  the 
first  three  hundred  years.  The  authors  of  that  period 
are  all  silent  with  respect  to  them.  The  heathen  never 
accused  the  Christians  of  using  them.  Jerome  records 
of  Epiphanius,  a bishop  of  Cyprus  in  the  fourth  century, 
that  when,  on  his  passage  through  a village  of  Palestine, 
he  saw  an  image  of  Christ,  or  of  some  saint,  upon  a 
vail  before  the  door  of  a church,  he  tore  it  down,  be- 
cause it  was  contrary  to  the  Scriptures  to  suspend  an 
image  in  a Christian  house  of  worship.  And,  in  the 
last  heathen  persecution,  before  Constantine  ascended 
the  throne,  although  particular  inventories  are  given  of 
articles  seized  by  the  persecutors  in  several  of  the 
churches,  such  as  cups,  flagons,  bowls,  water-pots, 
lamps,  candle-sticks,  torches,  clothing,  etc.;  not  a sylla- 
ble is  said  of  images  or  pictures.  These  were  first  in- 
troduced by  Paulinus,  bishop  of  Nola,  in  the  fourth 
century,  who  says  that,  to  keep  the  people  from  excess, 
when  they  met  together  on  the  anniversary  festival  of 
the  dedication  of  one  of  their  churches,  he  employed 
them  in  painting  the  walls  of  that  church  with  images  of 
saints  and  representations  of  scripture  history.  He  de- 
signed them  for  ornament  and  instruction,  not  for  ado- 
ration. As  late  as  the  year  590,  Gregory  the  Great, 
while  defending  the  use  of  pictures  in  churches, 
expressly  condemns  the  worship  of  them.  Indeed  the 
use  of  them  was  never  formally  approved,  till  the  second 
council  of  Nice,  A.  D.  787.  And  even  after  that  time, 
the  whole  western  world,  except  the  popes  of  Rome, 
agreed  in  rejecting  them.  In  Germany,  France,  and 
Britain,  they  received  no  adoration  for  many  ages  after 
that  council. 

As  I witnessed,  with  surprise,  pictures  designed  to 
represent  God  the  Father  in  several  of  the  churches  of 
Greece,  I would  here  remark,  that  ancient  history  af- 
fords no  sanction  to  the  use  of  such  a representation.11 

(n)  See  p.  158.  Such  pictures  are  common  in  Papal  churches  of  the 
east. 


272 


INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS. 


The  ancients  never  allowed  them  to  be  set  up  in  their 
churches.  Origen,  Ambrose,  and  Augustine,  pronounce 
it  to  be  impious.  Nay,  even  that  Gregory,  who  so 
earnestly  defends  the  use  of  images,  denies  that  it  is 
lawful  to  make  one  of  the  divine  nature.  The  second 
council  of  Nice  also  declared  against  this  practice.  And 
so  strong  is  antiquity  on  the  subject,  that  it  is  astonish- 
ing the  practice  should  be  tolerated.0 

The  invocation  of  departed  saints  was  practiced  by 
many,  unrebuked,  in  the  fifth  century.  And  as  the 
opinion  prevailed  that  the  spirits  of  glorified  saints  were 
permitted  to  revisit  this  world,  and  that  they  delighted 
specially  to  linger  around  the  places  where  the  bodies 
they  once  inhabited  were  interred,  the  sepulchres  of  the 
saints,  and  especially  of  the  martyrs,  soon  became 
places  of  resort  for  suppliant  multitudes.  Great  effi- 
cacy was  also  attributed  to  their  bones,  as  a defence 
against  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  a catholicon  both 
for  the  body  and  the  mind. 

In  this  century,  private  confessions  to  a priest  took 
the  place  of  confessions  in  the  presence  of  the  church, 
which  had  been  practiced  for  some  time,  and  thus  one 
of  the  greatest  restraints  upon  licentiousness  was  almost 
entirely  removed.** 

Superstition  now  increased  rapidly.  Frequent  pil- 
grimages were  undertaken  to  Palestine,  and  to  the  tombs 
of  the  martyrs.  Quantities  of  earth,  brought  from  the 
Holy  Land,  and  from  other  places  of  remarkable  sanc- 
tity became  an  article  of  merchandize,  and  were  bought 
and  sold  at  great  prices.  Pagan  processions  were  also 
introduced  into  the  Christian  worship.  “The  virtues, 
that  had  formerly  been  ascribed  to  the  heathen  temples, 
to  'then  lustrations,  to  the  statues  of  their  gods  and 
heroes,  were  now  attributed  to  Christian  churches,  to 
water  consecrated  by  certain  forms  of  prayer,  and  to 
the  images  of  holy  men.  And  the  same  privileges,  that 
the  former  enjoyed  under  the  darkness  of  paganism, 


(o)  See  Antiq.  of  Christ.  Church,  vol.  iii.  p.  256. 

(p)  Mosheim,  cent.  v.  pt.  ii.  ch.  iv. 


RITUAL  WORSHIP  BECOME  OPPRESSIVE.  273 


were  conferred  upon  the  latter  under  the  light  of  the 
gospel,  or  rather  under  that  cloud  of  superstition  that 
was  obscuring  its  glory.  It  is  true  that  as  yet  images 
were  not  very  common,  nor  were  there  any  statues  at 
all.  But,  it  is  at  the  same  time  as  undoubtedly  certain, 
as  it  is  extravagant  and  monstrous,  that  the  worship  of 
the  martyrs  was  modelled,  by  degrees,  according  to  the 
religious  services  that  were  paid  to  the  gods  before  the 
coming  of  Christ.”  q 

The  Lord’s  supper  was  sometimes  celebrated  at  the 
tombs  of  martyrs,  and  at  funerals;  and  this  custom  gave 
rise  to  masses,  in  honor  of  the  saints,  and  for  the  bene- 
fit of  thd  dead.  In  many  places,  the  bread  and  wine 
were  held  up  to  view  before  their  distribution,  that  the 
people  might  contemplate  them  with  a certain  religious 
respect;  and  thus  originated  the  custom  of  carrying  these 
elements  about  the  church  on  the  head  of  the  officiating 
priest,  as  an  object  of  worship  for  the  people. 

The  number  of  festivals  was  increased.  These  were 
celebrated  in  honor  of  Christ’s  birth,  baptism,  death, 
resurrection,  and  ascension,  and  also  of  the  effusion  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  pentecost.  Numerous 
others  were  added  in  honor  of  the  martyrs;  and  these 
festivals  were  generally  so  observed  as  rather  to  pro- 
mote indolence,  voluptuousness,  and  criminal  pursuits, 
than  habits  of  virtue  and  piety. 

Such  was  the  prodigious  number  of  rites  and  cere- 
monies, which  were  invented  to  give  splendor  and  re- 
spectability to  the  church  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  that 
the  great  Augustine  declared  the  yoke,  under  which  the 
Jews  formerly  groaned,  to  have  been  more  tolerable, 
than  that  imposed  upon  many  Christians  in  his  day. 
Indeed  the  state  of  the  church,  in  these  respects,  seems 
to  have  awakened  the  concern  of  all  the  great  and  good 
men  of  those  times.1' 


(q)  Mosheim,  cent.  iv.  pt.  ii.  ch.  iii. 

(r)  Chrysostom  indignantly  adverts  to  certain  absurd  and  superstitious 
practices,  which  prevailed  at  the  baptism  of  children.  Among  these  was 
a custom,  which  required  the  nurse,  or  female  attendant,  to  dip  her  finger 


274 


GENERAL  COUNCILS. 


As  the  Greeks  regard  the  first  seven  general  councils, 
together  with  the  holy  Scriptures,  as  the  standard  of 
faith  and  practice,  it  will  be  proper  to  notice  them.  The 
first  two  were  held  in  the  fourth  century — one  at  Nice, 
in  Bythinia,  in  325;  the  other  in  Constantinople,  in 
381.  In  the  first  council,  Arianism  was  condemned; 
in  the  second,  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  was  explicitly 
and  fully  declared.8  The  third  and  fourth  were  held, 
respectively,  at  Ephesus  and  at  Calcedon,  in  the  years 
431  and  451.  “It  belongs  only  to  my  purpose  to  men- 
tion, that  the  doctrines  of  Scripture  were  stated  by  the 
two  councils  of  Ephesus  and  Calcedon,  and  by  the 
writings  of  those  who  were  most  esteemed  in  the  church 
at  that  time.  Such  was  the  provident  care  of  Christ 
over  bis  Church,  in  the  preservation  of  the  fundamental 
truths  relating  to  his  person,  and  the  union  of  the  two 
natures  in  it,  that  all  attempts  to  remove  them  from 
the  mind  by  explaining  them  according  to  men’s  own 
imaginations,  were  subverted;  and  the  doctrine  was 
transmitted  safe  to  the  church  in  after  ages,  as  the  food 
and  nourishment  of  humble  and  self-denying  souls.”1 
The  fifth  general  council  was  held  in  Constantinople, 
in  the  year  553.  In  this  the  Greeks  enacted  several 
laws  concerning  the  ceremonies  to  be  observed  in  pub- 
lic worship,  which  made  their  ritual  in  some  respects 
different  from  that  of  the  Romans.  The  sixth  council 


n mud,  and  smear  the  forehead  of  the  infant  with  it,  as  a efiarm  against 
the  evil  eye.  He  mentions  another,  still  more  absurd.  When  a child  was 
to  be  baptized,  a number  of  lamps  were  lighted,  each  having  the  name  of  a 
different  saint  affixed  to  it.  The  lamps  were  then  suffered  to  burn  out,  and 
the  child  was  named  after  the  saint  whose  lamp  was  last  extinguished;  and 
by  this  process  length  of  life  was  supposed  to  be  infallibly  secured  to  the 
infant. — Brit..  Quar.  Theol.  Rev.  xv.  p.  106. 

(s)  The  council  of  Nice  forbad  the  clergy  to  marry,  though  it  permitted 
such  as  had  wives  to  retain  them.  Hence  candidates  for  the  priesthood 
in  the  Greek  church,  usually  marry  before  receiving  ordination. 

(t)  Milner,  cent.  v.  ch.  12. — The  immediate  occasion  of  the  council  of 
Ephesus,  was  the  declamations  of  Nestorius  against  the  title  of  ©so7oxo?, 
or  Mother-of-God,  which  was  frequently  given  to  the  virgin  Mary.  The 
council  condemned  Nestorius.  The  effect  of  the  controversy  on  this  sub- 
ject, in  the  Greek  church,  was  to  make  the  title  more  frequent,  and  greatly 
to  exalt  the  virgin  in  the  estimation  of  the  Greeks.  The  title  is  now  given 
her  by  the  Greeks  universally. 


CONTROVERSY  RESPECTING  IMAGES.  275 

was  held  in  the  same  city,  A.  D.  680,  and  condemned 
the  opinions  of  the  Monothelites.  In  692  Justinian  II 
assembled  another  council,  which  the  Greeks  regard  as 
supplementary  to  the  fifth  and  sixth,  because,  by  pre- 
scribing rules  for  public  worship  and  the  government  of 
the  church,  it  gave  completeness  to  the  acts  of  the  pre- 
vious councils.11 

The  use  of  pictures  and  images  in  the  churches,  and 
perhaps  the  adoration  of  them,  became  fixed  in  the 
eastern  church,  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  century.  They 
were  brought  in,  as  has  been  observed,  to  assist  the  ig- 
norant and  feeble  mind  to  raise  its  conceptions  to  spir- 
itual and  heavenly  things,  but  they  became  a hindrance; 
they  filled  the  fancy  with  material  images,  and  arrested 
the  soul  in  its  aspirations  after  an  infinite  spiritual  Being. 
Idolatry  was  carried  to  its  height  at  the  close  of  the 
seventh  century,  and  Christianity  might  have  been  mis- 
taken, by  the  casual  and  uninformed  observer,  for  a re- 
vised form  of  paganism. 

No  doubt  there  were  people  of  God,  who,  like  Elijah 
of  old,  lifted  up  their  voice  against  these  profanations  of 
the  gospel.  But  their  remonstrances  might  not  have 
been  heard,  had  not  the  Saracen  been  summoned 
against  the  degenerate  church.  Fear  was  thus  awaken- 
ed, and  inquiry,  and  Leo,  the  Isaurian,  ascending  the 
throne,  embodied  the  sect  of  the  Iconoclasts* v  against 
the  growing  idolatry.  He  was  resisted,  however,  by 
the  bishop  of  his  own  metropolis,  and  by  him,  also,  who 
has  been  denominated  the  first  pope  of  Rome.  Greece, 
too,  and  its  neighboring  islands,  set  up  the  standard  of  re- 
volt, so  infatuated  were  the  people  with  the  love  of 
images.™ 

The  son  and  the  grandson  of  Leo  inherited  his  views; 
and  a council  was  assembled  by  the  former  at  Constan- 
tinople, in  the  year  754,  which  solemnly  condemned 
the  worship  and  the  use  of  pictures  and  images. 
“Jesus  Christ,”  says  the  council,  “hath  delivered  us 


(u)  Mosheim,  cent.  vii.  pt.  ii.  ch.  v. 

(v)  So  the  opposers  of  this  idolatry  were  called. 

(w)  Milner,  cent.  viii.  ch.  iii. 


276 


TRIUMPH  OF  IDOLATRY. 


from  idolatry,  and  hath  taught  us  to  adore  him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.  But  the  devil  not  being  able  to  endure 
the  beauty  of  the  church,  hath  insensibly  brdnight  back 
idolatry  under  the  appearance  of  Christianity,  persuad- 
ing men  to  worship  the  creature,  and  to  take  for  God  a 
work,  to  which  they  give  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.”  x 
Irene,  the  wife  of  the  grandson  of  Constantine,  hav- 
ing accomplished  the  death  of  her  husband,  assumed 
the  government  in  the  name  of  her  son,  then  only  ten 
years  old.  She  immediately  took  measures  for  restor- 
ing the  reign  of  idolatry.  No  general  revival  of  spir- 
itual religion  seems  to  have  blessed  the  churches,  and 
she  found  them  ready  to  second  her  views.  A council, 
which  she  assembled  at  Nice,  with  the  concurrence  of 
the  pope  of  Rome,  sanctioned  the  use  and  adoration  of 
images.*  This  the  Greeks  call  the  seventh  general  coun- 
cil, and  the  second  of  Nice,  and  its  acts  are  an  integral 
portion  of  the  faith  professed  by  the  Greek  church.  Yet 
^ has  not  the  relapse  of  the  Greeks^complete,  in  respect 
to  their  actual  practice.  The  modern  Greek  rejects  all 
carved  and  graven  images  as  unlawful.  The  worship  of 
wood  and  of  stone  is  an  abomination  to  him;  but,  if  the  pic- 


(x)  Milner,  cent.  viii.  chap.  iii. 

(y)  The  second  Nicene  council,  after  various  introductory  remarks, 
and  repeating  the  Nicene  creed,  and  recapitulating  the  condemnation  of 
different  heresies  by  previous  councils,  proceeds  thus: — 

"We  define,  with  all  accuracy  and  care,  that  the  venerable  and  holy 
images,  fitly  prepared  with  colors  and  inlaying  or  any  other  matter,  ac- 
cording to  the  fashion  and  form  of  the  venerable  and  life-giving  cross,  are 
to  be  dedicated  and  placed  and  kept  in  the  sacred  temples  of  God;  on 
sacred  vessels  and  garments  also,  on  walls  and  tables,  in  private  houses, 
and  in  public  ways;  but,  chiefly,  the  image  of  the  Lord  and  God  our  Sa- 
viour Jesus  Christ;  next,  that  of  our  unspotted  lady,  the  mother  of  God; 
those  of  the  venerable  angels,  and  of  all  holy  men.  For,  as  often  as  these 
painted  images  are  looked  at,  they  who  contemplate  them  are  excited  to 
the  memory  and  recollection  and  love  of  the  prototypes,  and  may  offer  to 
them  salutation  and  an  honorary^  adoration:  not  that  which,  according  to 
our  faith  is  true  worship  ( \*rrgti&v ),  and  which  pertains  to  the  divine  na- 
ture alone;  but  in  like  manner  as  we  reverently  approach  the  type  of  the 
venerable  and  life-giving  cross,  and  the  holy  gospels,  and  the  other  sacred 
things,  with  oblations  of  censers  and  lighted  tapers,  according  as  this  cus- 
tom was  piously  established  by  the  ancients.  For  the  honor  done  to  the 
image  redounds  to  the  prototype;  and  he  who  adores  the  image,  adores 
in  it  likewise  the  subject  described/’ — Jowetfs  Researches  in  Syria  and 
the  Holy  Land,  p.  305. 


GREEK  FONDNESS  FOR  CONTROVERSY.  277 


ture  give  not  an  animated  representation,  if  it  be  only 
flat  and  inexpressive,  he  scruples  not  to  bow  down  be- 
fore it.z 

While  the  controversy  concerning  the  worship  of  im- 
ages was  at  its  height,  another  arose  concerning  the 
procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost— whether  he  proceeded 
from  the  Father  only,  or  from  the  Father  and  the  Son. 
The  Latins  held  to  the  latter  opinion,  and  the  Greeks 
to  the  former.  We  can  hardly  conceive  of  the  vehe- 
mence of  controversy,  which  this  question  occasioned; 
and  it  was  the  revival  of  the  controversy,  in  the  eleventh 
century,  that  was  the  immediate  cause  of  the  final  sep- 
aration which  then  took  place  between  the  western  and 
eastern  churches. 

Even  in  the  darkest  ages,  the  Greeks  retained  their 
extreme  fondness  for  disputation,  and  were  seldom 
without  debates  upon  religious  matters.a  The  contro- 
versies, however,  were  generally  upon  points  of  meta- 
physical subtlety,  which,  oftener  than  not,  lay  beyond 
the  proper  field  of  human  investigation.  By  far  the 
greater  part  of  the  people  were  unable  to  read  the 
Scriptures,  and  the  sect  of  the  Paulicians,  which  sprang 


(z)  “It  is  well  known  that,  perhaps,  the  most  intoxicating  compliment 
ever  received  by  Titian  himself,  was  the  indignant  rebuke  of  a Greek 
priest,  who  fcomplained  that  his  pictures  were  scandalous  and  execrable; 
that  they  positively  stood  out  from  the  canvass;  and  that  a man  might  just 
as  innocently  kneel  before  a statue.77 — Quar.  Theol.  Review. 

The  decrees  of  the  second  Nicene  council  were  abrogated  by  a council, 
which  Leo,  the  Armenian,  assembled  at  Constantinople  in  814;  but  in  842, 
the  empress  Theodora  convened  another  council  in  the  metropolis,  which 
einstated  the  decrees  of  the  Nicene  council  in  their  lost  authority. 

‘•'The  council  that  was  held  at  Constantinople  under  Photius,  in  the  year 
879,  and  which  is  reckoned  by  the  Greeks  the  eighth  general  council, 
gave  a farther  degree  of  force  and  vigor  to  idolatry,  by  maintaining  the 
sanctity  of  images,  and  approving,  confirming,  and  renewing  the  Nicene 
decrees.  The  superstitious  Greeks,  who  were  blinded  by  the  monks  in  the 
most  ignominious  manner,  esteemed  this  council  as  a most  signal  blessing 
derived  to  them  from  the  immediate  interposition  of  heaven,  and  accord- 
ingly instituted  in  commemoration  thereof  an  anniversary  festival,  which 
was  called  the  Feast  of  Orthodoxy.77 — Mosheim,  cent,  ix.pt.  ii.  ch.  Hi. 

(a)  Mosheim,  cent.  xii.  pt.  ii.  ch.  iii. 

Dr.  Cave  characterizes  several  of  the  first  ten  centuries  by  the  princi- 
pal controversies,  which  harassed  the  church: — 1,  Apostolic.  2.  Gnostic. 
3.  Novatian.  4.  Arian.  5.  Nestorian.  6.  Eutaohian.  7.  Monothelite. 
8.  Eiconoclastic.  9.  Photian.  IQ.  Obscure, 

24 


278 


FALL  OF  CONSTANTINOPLE. 


up  in  the  ninth  century,  charged  the  Greeks  with  al- 
lowing none  but  their  priests  to  have  access  to  the  foun- 
tains of  divine  knowledge.  Yet  there  are  no  ecclesias- 
tical decrees  known,  which  prohibit  the  use  of  the 
Scriptures  to  the  members  of  the  Greek  church  in  those 
times:  indeed  there  was  little  occasion  for  them.b 

In  the  year  1453  Constantinople  was  taken  by  the 
Turks,  after  having  strangely  stood  for  six  hundred 
years  almost  in  sight  of  its  enemies.  Fifteen  years  be- 
fore this  event,  the  emperor  John  Palseologus,  with  his 
patriarch  and  the  most  eminent  of  the  Grecian  bishops 
and  doctors,  repaired  to  Italy,  and  negotiated  a union 
with  the  Latin  church.  They  were  excited  to  this 
measure  by  the  extremity  to  which  they  were  reduced 
by  the  Turks.  But  the  terms  of  this  union  were  so  re- 
volting to  the  prejudices  of  the  Greeks,  that  they  were 
indignantly  rejected  as  soon  as  the  deputies  returned  to 
Constantinople.  They  required  the  Greeks  to  admit, 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeded  from  the  Son,  as  well 
as  from  the  Father — that  there  is  a purgatory,  as  held 
by  the  Latins — that  unleavened  bread  ought  to  be  em- 
ployed in  the  administration  of  the  Lord’s  Supper — and 
that  the  Roman  pontiff  is  the  true  and  proper  head  of 
the  universal  church. c How  strong  must  have  been  the 
national  feeling  on  these  points,  when,  rather  than  yield 
them,  the  whole  people  chose  to  fall  under  the  bloody 
sword  of  Mohammed!  One  part  of  the  city  was  soon  after 
taken  by  storm,  and  from  that  every  vestige  of  Christianity 
was  effaced:  the  other  part  surrendered  by  capitulation, 
and  there  the  inhabitants  were  allowed,  for  many  years, 
to  hold  their  churches,  and  to  worship  according  to 
their  pleasure.11  The  Greek  church  still  retained  its 
external  form;  but  its  members  were  slaves,  its  learning 
had  fled  to  more  congenial  climes,  its  splendor  had 
perished,  its  magnificent  temples  were  converted  into 


(b)  Milner,  cent.  ix.  ch.  ii. 

(e)  Mosbeim,  cent.  xv.  pt.  ii.  ch.  ii. 
(d)  Cent.  xv.  pt.  i.  ch.  ii. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  GERMAN  REFORMERS.  279 

mosques,  and  upon  those  which  remained  was  inscrib- 
ed a sentence  of  decay  and  desolation. 

Thus  depressed,  the  Roman  pontiff  was  sanguine  in 
the  expectation  of  subjecting  the  Greek  church  to  his 
authority;  and  it  is  affirmed,  that,  in  the  space  of  half  a 
century  from  the  storming  of  the  city,  not  less  than  thir- 
teen patriarchs  acknowledged  his  supremacy.  The 
acknowledgment  on  the  part  of  the  people,  was  of  a 
more  doubtful  nature,  and  it  was  sometimes  totally  ab- 
jured by  the  patriarchs.  It  was  assailed  by  the  great 
leaders  of  the  German  reformation,  and  in  this  manner 
the  advance  of  the  popish  domination  was  partially  re- 
tarded; but  the  depression  of  the  people,  their  general 
ignorance  and  corruption,  the  scarcity  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  the  artful  policy  of  Rome,  permitted  only  a few 
rays  of  the  light,  which  then  glowed  in  the  west,  to  pen- 
etrate the  gloom,  which  covered  the  east.e 

The  efforts  of  the  German  reformers  in  behalf  of 
the  Greeks,  commenced  with  a letter  from  Melancthon 
to  the  patriarch  Joseph,  written  about  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  in  which  he  described  the  protes- 
tant  doctrines.  With  this  letter  he  sent  a copy 
of  the  confession  of  Augsburg,  translated  into  Greek. 
The  patriarch  in  return  sent  his  deacon  to  Wittemberg, 
to  learn  more  fully  the  nature  of  the  protestant  faith. 
The  divines  of  Tubigen  renewed  the  correspondence 
with  his  successor,  Jeremiah;  and  wrote  repeatedly  to  the 
patriarch  between  the  years  1576  and  1581,  sending 
him,  also,  a copy  of  the  Augsburg  confession,  together 
with  a compend  of  theology,  composed  by  Heerbrand, 
and  translated  into  Greek.  The  only  fruits  of  this  cor- 
respondence were  a few  letters  from  the  patriarch,  writ- 
ten with  a benevolent  spirit,  but  evincing  a strong  attach- 
ment to  the  doctrines  and  institutions  of  his  own  church/ 

But,  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  it 
did  appear  as  if  the  church  of  Greece  was  on  the  verge 


(e)  London  Monthly  Magazine,  vol.viii,  p.  636. 

(f ) Mosheim,  cent.  xvi.  sect.  iii. 


280 


THE  PATRIARCH  CYRIL  LTJCARIS. 


of  a most  desirable  reform;  for  the  patriarchal  chair 
was  filled  by  a man,  whose  mind  had  been  enlightened 
by  study,  and  by  observation  in  the  different  countries  of 
Europe,  and  who  was  evidently  disposed  to  know  and 
confess  the  truth.  This  was  Cyril  Lucaris,  a native  of 
Candia,  and  successively  patriarch  of  Alexandria  and 
Constantinople.  While  he  detected  and  opposed  the 
arts,  by  which  the  pope  was  endeavoring  to  bring  the 
Greeks  under  the  Roman  yoke,  he,  at  the  same  time, 
conceived  the  design  of  purifying  the  doctrine  and  ritual 
of  his  church,  and  to  this  end  he  promoted  the  printing 
of  the  modern  Greek  Testament  translated  by  Maximus, 
which  afterwards  was  made  the  basis  of  one  printed  by 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. ^ The  Papists 
resolved  upon  accomplishing  his  ruin.  Their  nefarious 
designs  were  repeatedly  frustrated;  and  it  was  not  until 
Cyril  had  set  up  a printing-press,  that  they  succeeded 
in  destroying  his  credit  with  the  Turkish  government. 
Then  the  Jesuits,  by  the  help  of  false  witnesses  and  the 
influence  of  the  French  ambassador,  procured  his  con- 
demnation for  alleged  treasonable  designs.  His  print- 
ing establishment  was  destroyed  by  the  Janissaries,  and 
he  was  strangled  in  his  palace  in  1638.h  Cyril  left  be- 
hind him  a creed  or  confession  of  faith,  drawn  up  in 
various  propositions,  each  illustrated  by  references  to 
the  Scriptures  and  to  the  fathers.  This  confession  in- 
clines strongly  towards  the  doctrines  of  the  reformed 
churches.  He  excludes  saints  and  martyrs  from  the 
mediatorial  office,  acknowledges  but  two  sacraments, 
and  denies  the  papal  doctrines  of  purgatory  and  tran- 
substantiation.* 1 *  His  successor,  Cyril  of  Berea,  a furious 
partisan  of  the  pope,  assembled  a synod,  which  anathe- 
matized the  person  and  opinions  of  Lucaris.  In  1642 
the  synod  of  Yassi,  in  Moldavia,  also  condemned  his 
confession  J Meanwhile  the  dispute  between  Claude 


(g)  JowetCs  Christ.  Researches,  p.337. 

(h)  Mosheim,  cent.  xvii.  sect.  ii. 

(i)  See  Hottinger7s  Analecta  Theologica.  1652.  pp.  398 — 567. 

( j)  Q,uar.  Theol.  Review. 


DOCTRINE  OF  TRANSUBSTANTIATION.  281 

and  the  Sorbonists  of  France,  on  the  doctrine  of  tran- 
substantiation,  penetrated  into  Greece.  The  French 
ambassador  to  the  Porte  was  directed  to  collect  opinions 
on  the  subject,  and  by  various  means  obtained  a con- 
siderable number  from  the  Greek  clergy  in  support  of 
the  doctrine.  This  triumph  may  be  said  to  have  been 
consummated  at  the  synod  assembled  in  Jerusalem 
A.  D.  1672,  by  Dositheus,  the  patriarch  of  that  city. 
The  object  of  this  assembly  was  threefold; — to  re- 
probate the  German  reformers — to  annul  the  confession 
of  Cyril  Lucaris — and  to  give  validity  to  the  confession 
of  Dositheus.  The  controversies  of  the  church  were 
now  hushed  to  silence  by  a formal  declaration,  in  the 
manner  of  the  council  of  Trent.k  The  council  affirmed, 
that  the  seven  mysteries,  or  sacraments,  all  had  a divine 
origin,  and  that  the  elements  of  the  eucharist  are  actu- 
ally changed  into  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  Thus, 
although  the  pope  failed  to  reduce  the  Greeks  under  his 
authority,  he  succeeded  in  fixing  upon  them  the  most 
monstrous  of  all  the  superstitions  of  his  own  church, — 
that  of  transubstantiation.  The  doctrine  is  held  by  the 
Greeks,  however,  in  a somewhat  milder  form,  than  it  is 
by  the  Latins,  as  will  be  shewn  hereafter. 

Since  that  time  I know  not  that  any  material  change 
has  happened  in  the  Greek  church,  except  lately  in  the 
political  relations  of  that  part  of  it,  which  exists  in 
Greece.  That  portion  is  likely  to  enjoy  the  freedom, 
which  it  had  under  the  sceptre  of  the  Greek  emperors. 

The  view  we  have  taken  of  the  Greek  church  illus- 
trates the  baleful  influence  of  the  spirit  of  controversy, 
where  the  people  are  uninstructed  in  the  Scriptures.  If 
it  be,  as  a celebrated  writer  asserts,  that  “truth  has 
usually  been  elicited  by  controversy,”  it  must  still  be 
affirmed,  in  respect  to  the  Greek  church,  that  contro- 
versy has  been  a mighty  engine  to  obscure  and  deform 
the  truth,  and  give  root  and  inveteracy  to  error.  We 
see,  too,  the  importance  of  directing  the  attention  of  the 


(k)  Monthly  Magazine,  vol.  viii.  p.  636. 

*24 


282 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 


Greeks  as  little  as  possible  to  those  points,  on  which 
the  national  prejudices  are  so  firmly  fixed,  and  as 
much  as  possible  to  the  vital  truths  of  Christianity. 
Reasoning  directly  on  those  topics,  which  have  been 
agitated  for  centuries,  and  on  which  the  public  mind 
has  therefore  a peculiar  excitability,  will  probably 
be  worse  than  useless — at  least,  while  knowledge  is  so 
partially  diffused.  Nor  is  there  any  need  of  occupying 
this  ground;  for  the  Greek  concedes  the  use  of  the 
Scriptures,  with  most  of  those  essential  truths,  the  neg- 
lect of  which  led  his  ancestors  astray.  These  truths, 
though  almost  buried  beneath  mountains  of  rubbish,  and 
unknown  to  the  mass  of  the  people,  and  understood  and 
loved,  I fear,  by  very  few;  are  still  a part  of  the  national 
creed.  They  are  inconsistent,  indeed,  with  the  preva- 
lent corruptions  in  doctrine  and  practice;  but  there 
they  are,  clearly  and  often  stated  in  acknowledged 
standards  of  faith,  and  gradually  rising  into  notice. 
And  it  cannot  be,  unless  Greece  be  abandoned  to  judi- 
cial blindness,  but  that  many  of  its  quick-discerning  in- 
habitants will  yet  see  and  acknowledge  the  relations  of 
attraction,  or  repellency,  which  those  truths  sustain  to 
their  actual  system  of  religious  worship  and  belief. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 


Present  condition  of  the  Greek  Church.—- Its  extent— Its  four  patriarchates— 
Different  orders  of  the  clergy— Their  revenue — Doctrines  of  the  church — 
— The  seven  mysteries,  or  sacraments— Fasts  and  feasts— Excommunication 
— Churches— Public  worship— Public  worship  performed  throughout  the  east 
in  an  unknown  tongue — Colony  of  priests  at  Mount  Athos. 

The  religion  of  the  Greek  church  prevails,  not  only  in 
Greece,  the  Ionian  Islands,  and  the  Archipelago,  but  in 
other  countries  of  Europe;  as  part  of  Albania  and  Ser- 
via,  Bulgaria,  Wallachia,  Moldavia,  and  Russia/  Its 
members  are  also  scattered  over  most  of  the  countries 
of  Western  Asia,  and  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Africa — 
a mingled  people,  with  various  languages,  manners,  and 
customs.  The  number  of  its  members  in  Europe,  is 
estimated  at  50,000,000;  and  the  whole  number,  at 
about  70,000,000/ 

The  four  patriarchs  of  the  Greek  church  are  denom- 
inated after  the  cities  of  Constantinople,  Antioch,  Je- 
rusalem, and  Alexandria.  The  patriarch  of  Antioch 
resides  generally  at  Damascus.  The  patriarchs  of  Jeru- 
salem have,  for  more  than  a century,  taken  up  their 
residence  in  Constantinople,  where  they  have  assisted 
the  patriarch  and  synod  of  that  see.c  The  jurisdiction 
of  the  patriarch  of  Constantinople  is  acknowledged  over 
a considerable  part  of  Asia  Minor,  and  in  the  Archipe- 
lago, Greece,  and  the  Ionian  Islands,  though  in  a manner 
qualified  by  existing  circumstances,  and  throughout 
the  southern  provinces  of  European  Turkey.  Rycaut 

(a)  The  remarks  in  this  chapter  are  not  designed  to  refer  to  the  Rus- 
sian church.  That  church  is  said  to  have  been  freed  from  many  of  the 
grosser  observances  of  the  Hellenic  church,  Peter  the  Great  having  sub- 
jected the  discipline,  monasteries,  and  priesthood’ to  a general  reform.  It 
is  governed  by  a “Holy  Legislative  Synod.”— See  Pinkerton's  Present 
State  of  Greek  Church  in  Russia. 

(b)  Malte  Brun. 

(c)  JowetFs  Researches  in  Syria  and  the  Holy  Land,  p.  16. 


284 


THE  FOUR  PATRIARCHS. 


says,  that  Servia  was  independent  of  this  patriarch,  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  Bulgarians  received  their 
bishops  from  him,  before  the  late  war;  and  the  Wallachi- 
ans  professed  a submission  which  was  merely  nominal. 
The  Russians  are  entirely  independent,  though  they  cher- 
ish a reverence  for  the  see  of  Constantinople,  as  the 
source  from  whence  they  obtained  their  religion. — The 
patriarch  of  Antioch  extends  his  jurisdiction  over  Phoeni- 
cia, Cilicia,  Syria,  and  Mesopotamia.  The  patriarchal  au- 
thority of  the  see  of  Jerusalem,  is  confined  to  Palestine. 
The  patriarchate  of  Alexandria,  which  is  the  most  an- 
cient of  the  four,  embraces,  in  its  nominal  extent,  the 
countries  of  Egypt,  Abyssinia,  Arabia,  and  India. 

About  a century  and  a half  ago,  there  were  thirteen 
archbishoprics  within  the  patriarchate  of  Constantinople. 
One  of  these  was  in  Attica,  called  the  archbishopric  of 
Athens;  and  three  were  in  the  Peloponnesus,  and  were 
called  the  archbishoprics  of  Lacedaemon,  Monembasia, 
and  Patras.  These  four  archbishoprics  contained  four- 
teen dioceses.  The  diocese  of  Corinth  was  not  in- 
cluded, as  that,  with  its  suffragan  of  Damala,  was  im- 
mediately dependent  on  the  patriarch.*1 

The  patriarch  of  Constantinople  is  elected  by  a ma- 
jority of  votes  of  the  metropolitans  and  neighboring 
bishops,  and  receives  his  institution  from  the  Sultan,  to 
whom  he  has  been  accustomed  to  pay,  at  such  times, 
from  10,000  to  30,000  dollars.  This  patriarch  nomin- 
ates the  other  three,  and  they  are  subsequently  balloted 
for  by  the  bishops,  and  are  confirmed  in  office  by  the 
Sultan.e  Perhaps  no  office  in  the  Turkish  empire  is 
held  on  a more  precarious  tenure,  than  that  of  the  pa- 
triarch of  Constantinople  has  been,  for  many  ages  past. 
This  has  been  owing  to  the  ambition  of  Greek  aspirants 
for  the  office,  on  the  one  hand,  who  bid  largely  for  it 


(d)  Rycaut,  p.  85. — The  title  of  the  bishop  of  Corinth  is  npcelofyovcis 

M upi'M. — We  did  not  learn,  nor  is  it  important  to  know,  the  present  num- 
ber of  bishoprics.  A gentleman  in  office  told  us  they  were  too  numer- 
ous, and  that  their  number  would  no  doubt  be  reduced. 

(e)  Monthly  Magazine,  vol.  viii. 


ORDERS  AND  REVENUE  OF  THE  CLERGY.  285 

t&  the  Turkish  authorities;  and,  on  the  other,  to  the 
cupidity  of  the  Turkish  government,  which  has  led 
them  to  seek  pretences  for  procuring  frequent  changes 
in  the  office.  Between  the  years  1620  and  1671,  the 
patriarchal  throne  was  vacant  nineteen  times/ 

The  Greek  clergy  are  divided  into  regular  and  sec- 
ular. The  former  are  all  monks,  and  to  their  number 
belong  the  superior  ranks  of  the  clergy — the  patriarchs, 
archbishops,  bishops,  and  archimandrites,  or  chiefs  of 
monasteries.  The  secular  clergy  are  divided  into  arch- 
priests (protopapas,)  priests,  deacons,  and  subdeacons. 
We  were  informed,  by  the  bishop  of  Ithaca,  that 
subdeacons  are  ordained  at  the  age  of  twenty,  dea- 
cons at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  and  priests  at  thirty. 
Both  the  civil  and  canon  law  forbids  the  ordination 
of  deacons  at  an  earlier  age,  than  the  one  above 
specified;  and  the  rule  prohibiting  the  ordination  of 
presbyters  under  the  age  of  thirty,  (except  in  cases  of 
extraordinary  worth,)  was  expressly  enjoined  by  the 
council  of  Neoscaesaria,  A.  D.  314.  The  reasons  as- 
signed for  it  were,  that  our  Saviour  did  not  begin  his 
ministry  earlier,  and  that  thirty  is  the  perfect  age  of 
man.s  But  I doubt  whether  this  canon  is  strictly  re- 
garded by  the  modern  Greeks. 

Ecclesiastics  are  distinguished  from  the  laity  by  their 
beards,  and  especially  by  their  clerical  dress,  which  is 
peculiar  and  striking,  and  which  they  always  wear. 
The  Greeks  suppose  it  to  be  similar  to  that  worn  by 
the  apostles  and  evangelists,  and  by  Christ  himself. 

The  principal  revenue  of  the  patriarch  is  accidental, 
arising  from  the  death  of  bishops  and  archbishops,  and 
from  that  of  ordinary  priests  who  die  childless;  and 
when  the  patriarch  enters  upon  his  office,  there  is  a col- 
lection made  for  him  among  the  people  at  large.  The 
bishops  are  supported  by  endowments,  and  by  offerings 
made  them,  twice  a year,  during  their  visitations,  by 


(f)  Quar.  Theol.  Review,  vol.  xv. 

(g)  Bingham’s  Chr.  Antiq.  vol.  i.  p.  129. 


286  DOCTRINES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 

the  priesthood  and  people.  The  secular  priests  derive 
their  chief  subsistence  from  the  free-will  offerings  of 
the  people,  and  from  fees  received  at  funerals,  mar- 
riages, and  baptisms,  and  for  masses,  absolutions,  etc. 

The  Greek  church  aknowledges  no  other  head  of  the 
universal  church  on  earth,  than  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
under  whom,  and  in  subjection  to  their  respective  secu- 
lar governments,  the  patriarchs,  archbishops,  and  bish- 
ops, exercise  their  authority.  But  while  the  Greeks 
differ  from  the  Papists  in  this  respect,  the  two  churches 
agree  in  regarding  the  laws  and  decisions  of  the  early 
synods  as  of  divine  authority. 

Their  standards  of  faith  and  practice  are  the  holy 
Scriptures,  together  with  the  first  seven  general  coun- 
cils. Their  Old  Testament,  however,  is  the  Septu- 
agint,  including,  of  course,  the  apocrypha.  They  have 
some  prejudice  against  the  Hebrew,  but  this  is  wear- 
ing away,  and  they  have  less  partiality  for  the  apocry- 
phal books,  than  have  the  Latins.^ 

The  Greeks  hold  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  in  the 
manner  that  is  common  to  evangelical  Christians  among 
ourselves.  The  point,  however,  on  which  they  seem 
most  deeply  interested,  is  one  which  has  excited  no  at- 
tention in  this  western  world;  viz.  Whether  the  Holy 
Ghost  proceeded  from  the  Father  and  the  Son , or, 
from  the  Father  through  the  Son;  and  the  controversies 
upon  this  subject  have  been  exceedingly  voluminous. 
The  inquiry  is,  indeed,  proper,  what  the  Scriptures  say 
with  respect  to  the  mission  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  this 
world.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  importance,  and  comes 
wdthin  the  province  of  human  reason.  But  the  subject, 
as  it  has  been  agitated  by  the  Greeks  with  inconceiv- 
able zeal,  serves  only  to  illustrate  the  disposition  of  that 
people  to  subtle  speculations. 

(h)  A tr^Hjslatirfn  of  the  Old  Testamen^rofn  the  origiitsdH?l5rew  into 
modern  GreSk.  is  in  a course  of  preparatior^nd'publication^fCorfu,  (as 
was  stated  at  jxl82,)  with  the  co-operationSof  the  two  promss^rs  in  the 
theological  senflimh^7  Bambas  and  Typal^jGs. ' 


DOCTRINES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH.  287 

The  Greeks  state  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the 
atonement,  and  of  justification  by  faith,  in  the  manner 
of  the  reformed  churches  of  the  west.1 

The  Anatolian  confession,  which  is  generally  approved 
by  the  Greek  church,  describes  the  state  of  the  soul  after 
death  as  a condition  of  peace  to  the  forgiven,  and  anguish 
to  the  lost;  yet  in  both  cases  imperfect,  and  so  to  remain 
till  after  the  day  of  judgment,  when  each  shall  enter 
more  decided  states  of  joy,  or  pain,  unchangeably  the 
same.  Those  who  die  unpardoned  are,  however,  di- 
vided into  two  classes:  (1.)  Such  as  die  in  a state  of 
reckless  wickedness,  to  whom  forgiveness  is  impossible; 
and  (2.)  those  who  die  with  a disposition  to  repent- 
ance, and  with  the  advantages  of  confession  and  abso- 
lution, but  with  their  good  resolutions  not  carried  into 
action,  and  the  work  of  grace  incomplete.  This  latter 
class  the  Greeks  do  not  place  in  a purgatory  of  purify- 
ing flames,  as  the  Papists  do,  where  the  soul  makes 
satisfaction  for  its  sins  by  means  of  its  sufferings;  the  no- 
tion of  such  a purgatory  having  been  pointedly  condemn- 
ed by  the  second  council  of  Constantinople.  They  be- 
lieve that  a departed  spirit,  in  these  circumstances,  can 
do  nothing  for  its  own  rescue.  They  believe,  too,  that 
indulgences,  or  pardons,  whether  granted  by  pope  or 
patriarch,  can  be  of  no  avail.  But  they  hold,  that  the 
prayers  and  alms  of  saints  on  earth,  together  with  fre- 
quent masses,  and  the  intercessions  of  the  martyrs  and 
of  the  church  triumphant,  may  incline  the  mercy  of  God 
to  open  to  this  second  class  of  souls  the  door  of  para- 
dise.k  An  ingenious  evasion!  The  Greek  priesthood 
can  be  orthodox  in  condemning  the  papal  doctrine  of 
a purgatory,  and  yet  hold  out  powerful  inducements  for 
prayers,  and  masses,  and  pecuniary  contributions,  to 
obtain  repose  for  spirits  who  have  entered  the  eternal 
world. 


(i)  Chrysostom  has  this  remark  on  the  subject  of  justification  by  faith: — 
“It  is  not  indeed  unlikely  that  one  who  has  no  good  works  should  be  jus- 
tified by  faith;  but  that  a man  adorned  with  beauteous  deeds  [referring  to 
Abraham]  should  be  just  not  thence,  but  from  faith,  is  truly  wonderful.” 
(k)  Rycaut,  p:  299. 


288  DOCTRINES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 

The  views  of  the  Greek  church  in  respect  to  the  pro- 
priety and  use  of  prayers  to  the  saints  and  angels  in 
heaven,  are  thus  stated  in  the  Anatolian  confession: — 
“We  crave  the  intercession  of  saints  with  God,  that  they 
should  pray  for  us,  and  we  invoke  them  not  as  gods, 
but  as  his  friends,  who  serve  him,  and  praise  him,  and 
adore  him;  and  we  crave  their  assistance,  not  as  if  they 
were  able  to  assist  us  by  their  own  power,  but  that  they 
should  procure  for  us  the  grace  of  God  by  means  of 
their  administrations. 

“But  some  will  say  that  they  do  not  know  nor  under- 
stand our  prayers.  To  whom  we  answer,  that  they  of 
themselves  do  not  know,  nor  hear  our  prayers,  but  only 
by  revelation,  and  the  divine  grace  which  God  hath 
richly  bestowed  on  them,  they  both  understand  and 
hear  us. 

“In  like  manner  tve  invoke  angels,  that  they  would 
mediate  for  us  by  their  ministry  with  God,  wherefore 
they  offer  to  the  majesty  of  God  the  prayers,  alms,  and 
good  works  of  men. 

“As  God  commanded  the  friends  of  Job  that  they 
should  bring  their  sacrifices  and  offer  them  for  them- 
selves, and  that  Job  should  pray  for  them,  for  that  him 
God  would  accept;  so  we  bringing  our  sacrifices  of 
prayer  to  the  footstool  of  the  throne  of  grace,  have 
them  there  tendered  to  the  majesty  of  God  by  the  saints 
and  angels,  his  accepted  and  beloved  ministers.” 1 

The  principle  here  advanced  is  entirely  consentane- 
ous with  that  of  the  Romish  church.  Yet  prayers  to 
saints  and  angels  are  said  to  be  less  frequently  enjoined 
upon  the  Greek,  than  upon  the  Papist.  A few  speci- 
mens of  those  which  are  enjoined,  will  show  that  the 
“One  Mediator”  has  been  sadly  overlooked  and  for- 
gotten. 

“Holy  martyrs,  who  have  stoutly  fought,  and  are 
crowned,  pray  to  the  Lord  to  have  mercy  on  our 
souls.” 


(1)  Rycaut,  p.  331, 


DOCTRINES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH.  289 

“Holy  apostles,  beseech  the  merciful  God  to  grant 
remission  of  sins  to  our  souls.” 

The  subjoined  prayers  are  designed  to  be  said  by 
children,  in  their  private  devotions  morning  and  even- 
ing. 

“All-holy  lady,  mother-of-God,  pray  for  us  sinners.” 
“All  celestial  powers  of  angels  and  archangels,  pray 
for  us  sinners.” 

“Holy  John,  prophet,  and  forerunner,  and  baptiser  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  pray  for  us  sinners.” 

“Holy  orthodox  apostles,  prophets  and  martyrs,  and 
all  saints,  pray  for  us  sinners.” 

“O  sacred  ministers  of  God,  our  fathers,  shepherds, 
and  teachers  of  the  world,  pray  for  us  sinners.” 

“O  invincible,  indissolvable,  and  divine  power  of  the 
reverend  and  life-giving  cross,  forsake  us  not  sinners.”  m 
I have  already  remarked  upon  the  prevalence  of 
picture-worship  among  the  Greeks.  That  no  injus- 
tice may  be  done  them,  I shall  quote  their  own  state- 
ment of  the  case,  and  of  the  arguments  in  favor  of  the 
practice.  They  say: — “Great  is  the  difference  between 
idols  and  representations.  For  idols  are  figures  of 
man’s  invention,  as  the  apostle  testifies.  ‘We  know 
that  an  idol  is  nothing  in  the  world,’  1 Cor.  viii.  4;  but 
an  image  is  a representation  of  some  true  transaction  of 
what  hath  passed  and  been  transacted  in  the  world,  as 
the  picture  of  our  Saviour,  of  the  holy  virgin  Mary,  and 
of  all  the  saints.  But  different  from  this,  the  Gentiles 
worshipped  their  idols,  adoring  them  as  gods,  and 
offering  incense  unto  them,  saying,  that  gold  and  silver 
were  gods,  as  Nebuchadnezzar  did.  But  we,  when  we 
honor  and  adore  pictures,  do  not  worship  the  wood,  nor 
colors,  but  those  saints  whose  representations  they  are. 
We  honor  them  with  the  reverence  of  servants,  figuring 
in  our  minds  the  person  and  presence  of  those  saints. 
As  when  we  bow  to  a crucifix,  we  form  in  our  minds 
Christ  hanging  on  the  cross  for  our  salvation,  to  which 


(m)  Itycaut,  p.  334, 


25 


290 


BITES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 


we  incline  our  heads  and  knees  with  thanksgiving.  In 
like  manner  when  we  worship  the  image  of  the  virgin 
Mary,  we  raise  our  contemplations  unto  that  holy  mother 
of  God:  we  bow  our  heads  and  knees  to  her,  and  pro- 
nounce her  blessed  above  all  men  or  women.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  archangel  Gabriel;  by  which 
it  appears  that  this  is  not  the  same  service  which  we 
offer  unto  God.  Nor  do  those  of  the  orthodox  faith 
allow  of  the  graven  workmanship  of  images  to  the  life, 
hut  only  the  countenances  of  saints,  whose  persons 
they  represent;  as  the  cherubim,  overshadowing  the 
ark  of  the  covenant,  did  represent  those  true  cherubim 
in  heaven  which  remain  in  the  presence  of  God,  and 
were  honored  and  adored  by  the  Israelites  without 
transgression  of  that  commandment.  And  when  the 
children  of  Israel  worshipped  the  tabernacle  of  the  cov- 
enant, and  lodged  it  with  decent  and  due  honor,  they 
committed  no  sin,  nor  made  invalid  the  commands  of 
the  decalogue,  but  rather  declare  that  God  is  wonder- 
ful in  his  saints.  Only  it  is  requisite  that  the  image 
have  some  lively  resemblance  of  the  saint  it  represents, 
that  the  mind  of  him  that  prays  may  be  the  more  easily 
affected  thereby.  And  for  the  better  confirmation  of 
the  wmrship  of  holy  and  sacred  images,  the  church  of 
God,  in  the  seventh  universal  synod,  hath  anathematized 
all  such  as  do  oppose  them,  and  hath  authorized  and 
forever  established  the  adoration  of  venerable  images, 
as  appears  in  the  ninth  canon  of  that  synod.”  n 

Not  a word  is  here  said  of  any  sanction  of  the  wor- 
ship of  pictures,  to  be  found  in  the  early  ages  of  the 
Christian  church;  and  the  reader  will  probably  be  un- 
able to  see  the  advantage,  in  respect  to  principle,  which 
the  Greek  worshipper  of  paint  and  canvass  has  over 
him  of  Rome  who  bows  down  to  wood  and  stone. 

The  Greek  church  numbers  seven  mysteries,  or  sa- 
craments; viz.  baptism,  the  Lord’s  supper,  chrism, 
ordination,  marriage,  repentance,  and  the  sanctified  oil. 


(n)  Rycaut,  p.  322. 


RITES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 


291 


The  Greeks  present  their  infants  for  baptism  when 
eight  days  old,  and  the  rite  is  performed  by  thrice  im- 
mersing them  in  water,  the  priest  saying  each  time,  “In 
the  name  of  the  Father,  Amen” — “and  of  the  Son, 
Amen” — “and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Amen.”  This  trine  im- 
mersion the  Greek  church  holds  to  be  necessary  to  the 
validity  of  baptism;  except  in  case  of  sickness  and  ex- 
treme danger  of  life,  or  when  a sufficient  quantity  of 
water  cannot  be  procured:  then  baptism  by  aspersion, 
or  sprinkling,  is  allowed.0 

In  the  Lord's  supper  the  Greeks  use  leavened  bread, 
a custom  which  has  brought  upon  them  the  frequent 
animadversions  of  the  Latins,  who  think  that  unleavened 
bread  was  used  when  our  Lord  instituted  this  sacra- 
ment. They  mix  water  with  the  wine,  in  representa- 
tion of  the  blood  and  water,  which  issued  from  the 
wounded  side  of  our  Saviour.  When  the  elements  are 
ready  for  consecration,  the  priest  carries  them  round 
the  church  on  his  head,  while  the  people  make  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  bow,  and  worship.  The  elements  are  then 
consecrated,  and  administered  in  both  kinds  to  the 
communicants.  The  people  believe  the  transubstantia- 
tion  to  be  complete,  and  that  the  body  of  Christ  is 
offered  in  a real,  though  bloodless,  sacrifice. — Yet  is 
this  extravagant  doctrine  of  too  recent  date  among  the 
Greeks,  to  be  carried  out  into  all  those  forms  of  hom- 
age, which  we  behold  among  the  superstitious  devo- 
tees of  papal  countries.  In  Roman  Catholic  cities  the 
hand-bell  is  frequently  heard  ringing  along  the  streets, 
to  apprise  the  people  that  the  host  is  passing  in  proces- 
sion to  be  administered  to  some  dying  member  of  the 
church.  Among  the  Greeks,  also,  it  is  carried  to  the  sick; 
but  not  in  procession;  nor  is  it  held  up  for  public  adora- 
tion by  the  way;  nor  is  adoration  required  for  it,  ex- 

(o)  I assert  this,  in  regard  to  the  Greeks  of  the  present  day,  on  the  au- 
thority of  an  intelligent  native  of  Athens,  with  whom  I became  acquainted 
at  iEgina,  who  assured  me  that  exceptions  were  allowed  in  extreme 
cases. — Bingham  affirms,  (Antiq.  of  Ch.  Chh.  vol.  iv.  p.  351,)  that  the 
exceptions  above  specified,  were  practised  by  the  Greek  church  in  an- 
cient times. 


292 


RITES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 


cept  in  the  immediate  act  of  its  administration:  nor  has 
it  any  public  festival,  or  procession. p 

Of  the  chrism  it  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  it  is  the 
anointing  of  various  parts  of  the  body,  which  takes 
place  immediately  after  baptism,  and  is  believed  to  con- 
vey grace  to  the  receiver.  It  is  the  confirmation  of  the 
Greek  church. 

Ordination  is  supposed  to  confer  such  wonderful 
powers  on  the  priesthood,  that  it  is  very  naturally  reck- 
oned among  the  mysteries.  In  addition  to  interpreting 
the  Scriptures,  and  preaching  the  gospel,  the  Greeks 
believe  the  priesthood  to  have  power  to  receive  into  the 
church,  and  to  excommunicate  from  it — to  purify  the 
soul,  by  means  of  baptism,  from  the  corruption  of  orig- 
inal sin — to  change  the  bread  and  wine  of  the  ’Lord’s 
supper  into  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ — to  loose  and 
to  bind  sins — and  to  convey  grace  to  the  soul,  and  heal- 
ing to  the  body,  by  the  holy  anointing; — matters  so 
profoundly  deep,  so  sublimely  elevated,  that  the  act 
which  is  supposed  to  bestow  such  powers,  may  well  be 
regarded  as  involving  a mystery.q 

JWarriage  is  another  of  the  mysteries.  A fourth 
marriage  is  forbidden  to  the  laity,  and  a second  to  the 
priests.  Indeed  the  priests  are  not  allowed  to  marry  at 
all  after  receiving  ordination;  but  they  may  retain  their 
wives,  and  they  are  generally  married. 

Confession , penance , and  absolution , all  hold  an  im- 
portant place  in  the  ethical  theology  of  the  Greeks. 
The  laboring  people  are  required  to  confess  to  a priest 
once  a year,  and  this  they  do  just  before  entering  the 
great  lent,  which  is  the  fast  immediately  preceding  the 
feast  of  Easter.  Persons  having  more  leisure  must  con- 
fess four  times  a year;  and  priests,  and  all  who  have 

(p)  One  of  the  customs  at  the  Greek  celebrations  of  the  Lord’s  supper, 
is  worthy  of  particular  notice.  Those  who  intend  to  communicate,  before 
they  dare  to  approach  the  altar  and  receive  the  elements,  retire  to  the 
bottom  of  the  church,  and  ask  forgiveness  of  the  whole  congregation  in 
case  they  have  offended  any  person;  and  should  any  one,  at  that  time, 
acknowledge  himself  aggrieved,  the  party  abstains  from  the  sacrament 
until  the  aggrieved  person  has  received  satisfaction. — Rycaut,  p.  200. 

(q)  Rycaut,  p.  201. 


RITES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 


293 


given  themselves  to  a life  of  devotion,  must  confess 
every  month.  This  is  to  be  done  with  penitence,  or  re- 
pentance, which  the  Greeks  call  pijdntx,  and  which  they 
define  to  be,  “a  sorrow  of  heart  for  sin,  of  which  a man 
accuses  himself  before  a priest,  with  a firm  resolution  to 
correct  the  errors  of  his  past  life  by  that  which  is  to 
come,  and  to  submit  to  whatever  penance  his  spiritual 
pastor  shall  enjoin  upon  him.”1'  The  usual  penances 
are,  extraordinary  prayers,  alms,  fasting,  visiting  holy 
places,  etc.  The  more  enlightened  of  the  clergy  would 
probably  enjoin  these  only  as  tests  of  the  penitent’s  sin- 
cerity, but  the  ignorant  must  often  regard  them  as  mer- 
itorious oblations. 

“The  formulary  of  absolution  used  by  the  Greeks,” 
says  Mr.  Jowett  in  his  Christian  Researches,  “is  not 
so  absolute,  in  its  expressions,  as  that  of  the  Latins;  yet 
the  mind  is,  in  both  cases,  directed  to  the  priest  as  in  the 
place  of  God;  conferring  or  withholding,  by  the  author- 
ity of  his  function,  the  communications  of  divine  pardon 
and  favor.”8 

The  same  excellent  author  has  inserted,  in  the  first 
volume  of  his  Researches,  a literal  translation  of  a print- 
ed form  of  absolution  and  remission  of  sins,  such  as  is 
usually  given  to  pilgrims  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  by  the 
Greek  patriarch  of  Jerusalem.  It  furnishes  an  affecting 
exhibition  of  an  abuse,  which  both  the  priesthood  and 
the  people  have  strong  inducements  to  perpetuate,  and 
is  as  follows: 

“Polycarp,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  patriarch  of  the 
holy  city,  Jerusalem,  and  of  all  Palestine. 

“Our  holiness — according  to  that  grace,  gift,  and  au- 
thority of  the  most  holy  and  life-giving  Spirit,  which 
was  given  by  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  to  his  holy  dis- 
ciples and  apostles,  for  the  binding  and  loosing  of  the 
sins  of  men,  as  he  said  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost:  Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit , they  are  remitted 
unto  them ; whosesoever  ye  retain , they  are  retained  unto 

(r)  Rycaut. 

(s)  Christ.  Research,  in  Mediterranean,  p.  23. 

*25 


294  RITES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 

them;  and  whatsoever  ye  shall  hind  and  loose  on  earth , 
shall  he  hound  and  loosed  in  heaven:  which  divine  grace 
has  descended,  in  succession,  from  them  to  us — holds, 
as  pardoned,  our  spiritual  son  Emmanuel,  worshipper — 
in  regard  to  all  the  sins,  which,  through  human  frailty, 
he  hath  committed,  and  all  his  failings  towards  God,  in 
word  or  deed  or  thought,  willingly  or  unwillingly,  and  in 
all  his  senses.  Or,  if  he  hath  been  under  any  curse  or 
excommunioation  of  bishop  or  priest,  or  of  his  father  or 
mother,  or  hath  fallen  under  his  own  anathema,  or  hath 
forsworn  himself,  or  hath  been  overtaken  in  any  other 
sins  through  human  frailty,  he  having  confessed  the  same 
to  spiritual  fathers,  and  heartily  received  and  earnestly 
purposed  to  fulfil  the  injunction  prescribed  to  him  by 
them — from  all  these  sins,  whether  of  omission  or  com- 
mission, we  loose  him,  and  do  account  him  free  and 
pardoned,  through  the  almighty  authority  and  grace  of 
the  most  holy  Spirit.  And  whatsoever,  through  forget- 
fulness, he  hath  left  unconfessed,  all  this  also  may  the 
merciful  God  forgive  him,  for  his  own  bounty  and  good- 
ness’ sake,  through  the  ministrations  of  our  most  blessed 
lady-mother-of-God  and  ever-virgin,  Mary,  of  the  holy, 
glorious  and  laudable  apostle  James,  brother-of-God, 
first  bishop  of  Jerusalem,  and  of  all  the  saints!  Amen.”  * 

The  sanctified  oil  is  applied  to  the  sick.  The 
practice  is  founded  on  James  v.  14.  “Is  any  sick 
among  you?  Let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the  church, 
and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.” 

The  fasts  of  the  Greek  church  occupy  a consider- 
able part  of  the  year. 

1 . The  great  lent,  which  ends  at  Easter,  or  the  feast 
of  the  passover,  continues  forty-eight  days. 

2.  The  fast  before  Christmas,  forty  days. 

3.  The  fast  of  the  apostles,  after  Easter,  from  nine 
to  forty  days. 


(t)  Christ.  Researches,  p.  25. 


RITES  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 


295 


4.  The  fast  of  the  virgin  Mary,  in  August,  fifteen 
days. 

5.  The  fast  of  John  the  Baptist,  in  September,  one 
day. 

6.  The  fast  of  the  holy  cross,  in  September,  one 
day. 

7.  The  fast  on  the  day  before  that  on  which  Christ 
was  baptised,  one  day. 

8.  Every  Wednesday  and  Friday  during  the  rest  of 
the  year.11 

It  therefore  appears,  that,  taking  one  year  with  anoth- 
er, about  two  hundred  days,  out  of  the  three  hundred 
and  sixty -five,  are  devoted  to  fasting. 

Meat  is  prohibited  in  every  fast.  The  first  week  in 
the  great  lent,  milk,  cheese,  eggs,  and  fish,  may  be  eat- 
en, but  all  these  are  forbidden  on  the  weeks  following. 
They  then  feed  wholly  upon  shell-fish,  and  such  others 
as  they  believe  to  be  without  blood.  They  also  eat  the 
eggs  of  certain  fish,  as  of  the  mullet,  from  the  coasts  of 
Ephesus  and  Miletus,  and  of  the  sturgeon,  from  the 
Black  Sea.  Pulse,  honey,  and  wine,  are  used  by  the 
laity,  but  the  monks  live  chiefly  on  roots.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  rigid  of  the  lents.  On  the  fasts  of  Wednes- 
day and  Friday,  and  on  some  others,  all  sorts  of  fish 
are  allowed,  and  nothing  indeed  prohibited,  except 
flesh,  milk,  cheese,  and  butter. 

The  Greeks  are,  in  general,  more  austere  in  their 
fasts  than  the  Latins.  Neither  priest  nor  patriarch 
among  them  has  power  to  grant  a dispensation^ 

There  are  also  more  than  fifty  feast-days  observed  in 
the  course  of  the  year;  so  that  the  Greek,  mistaking  the 
means  for  the  end,  is  subjected  to  a continual  alterna- 
tion of  fasting  and  feasting,  emptiness  and  fulness.  The 
Greek  government  has  lately  ordered,  that  the  public 

(u)  The  Greeks  fast  on  Friday,  because  Christ  was  then  crucified;  and 
on  Wednesday,  because  the  Jews  then  conspired  against  him.  These 
fasts  were  commonly  held,  in  ancient  times,  till  3 P.  M.,  and  were  called 
half-fasts. — Bingham’s  Chris.  Antiq.  vol.  ix.  p 268. 

(v)  The  Armenians  are  said  to  be  more  rigorous  in  their  fasts,  even 
than  the  Greeks.  See  Rycautonthe  Armenian  Church. 


296  FORM  OF  EXCOMMUNICATION. 

offices  and  schools  of  Greece  shall  be  closed  only  on 
twelve  of  the  festivals — the  Sabbath  of  course  excepted, 
which  I have  not  reckoned  among  the  festivals. 

The  power,  the  form,  and  the  terror  of  excommuni- 
cation, have  exerted  no  small  influence  in  preserving 
the  existence  of  the  Greek  church.  I copy  from  Ry- 
caut  the  form  of  excommunication  taken  out  against 
an  undiscovered  thief. 

“If  they  restore  not  to  him  that  which  is  his  own,  and 
possess  him  peaceably  of  it,  but  suffer  him  to  remain  in- 
jured and  damnified;  let  them  be  separated  from  the 
Lord  God  Creator,  and  be  accursed,  and  unpardoned, 
and  undissolvable  after  death  in  this  world,  and  in  the 
other  which  is  to  come.  Let  wood,  stones,  and  iron 
be  dissolved,  but  not  they:  may  they  inherit  the  leprosy 
of  Gehazi,  and  the  confusion  of  Judas;  may  the  earth 
be  divided,  and  devour  them  like  Dathan  and  Abiram; 
may  they  sigh  and  tremble  on  earth  like  Cain,  and  the 
wrath  of  God  be  upon  their  heads  and  countenances; 
may  they  see  nothing  of  that  for  which  they  labor,  and 
beg  their  bread  all  the  days  of  their  lives;  may  their 
works,  possessions,  labors,  and  services  be  accursed, 
always  without  effect  or  success,  and  blown  away  like 
dust;  may  they  have  the  curses  of  the  holy  and  right- 
eous patriarchs,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob;  of  the  three 
hundred  and  eighteen  saints  who  were  the  divine  fathers 
of  the  synod  of  Nice,  and  of  all  other  holy  synods; 
and  being  without  the  church  of  Christ,  let  no  man  ad- 
minister unto  them  the  things  of  the  church,  or  bless 
them,  or  offer  sacrifice  for  them,  or  give  them  the  bless- 
ed bread,  or  eat,  or  drink,  or  work  with  them,  or  con- 
verse with  them;  and  after  death,  let  no  man  bury  them, 
on  penalty  of  being  under  the  same  state  of  excommu- 
nication: for  so  let  them  remain  until  they  have  per- 
formed what  is  here  ^written.”  w 

Such  excisions  from  the  church  are  regarded  with 
terror  by  the  people;  as  the  prevailing  belief  is,  that 


(w)  State  of  the  Greek  Church,  p.274. 


CHURCHES USAGES. 


297 


they  are  not  a mere  ceremony,  but  the  cause  of  dreadful 
calamity,  very  probably  in  this  life,  and  certainly  in  the 
future.  The  power,  which  excommunicated  the  offend- 
er, may  restore  him;  but  restoration  is  said  not  often  to 
be  granted  without  severe  penances. 

The  churches  of  Greece  are  usually  composed  of 
three  parts — the  vestibule,  the  nave,  and  the  sanctuary. 
The  vestibule  is  entered  from  the  west,x  by  three  doors. 
The  nave,  which  is  the  central  division,  and  the  main 
part  of  the  church,  is  separated  from  the  sanctuary  by 
a partition  of  pannel-work,  raised  to  the  ceiling,  and 
covered  with  gilded  pictures.  Three  doors  lead  into 
the  sanctuary,  of  which  the  middle  one  is  opened  only 
in  the  more  solemn  parts  of  the  service. 

Men  and  women  have  different  places  in  the  church, 
and  enter  by  different  doors.  This  is  a very  ancient 
custom.  Cyril  says,  (A.  D.  350,)  that  such  was  the 
practice  in  his  church  at  Jerusalem.  Helena,  the  mother 
of  Constantine  the  Great,  always  prayed  with  the  wo- 
men, in  their  apartment.  The  dividing  wall  was  usu- 
ally made  of  wood.  Chrysostom  thus  describes  the 
origin  of  the  custom:  “Men  ought  to  be  separated  from 
women,”  says  he,  “by  an  inward  wal],”  meaning  that 
of  the  heart;  “but  because  they  would  not,  our  fathers 
separated  them  by  these  wooden  walls:  for  I have  heard 
from  our  seniors,  that  it  was  not  so  from  the  beginning; 
for  in  Christ  Jesus  there  is  neither  male,  nor  female. 
Do  we  not  read,  that  men  and  women  prayed  together 
in  an  upper  room?”y 

The  Turks  rarely  permitted  the  Greeks  to  use  bells 
in  their  churches.  Instead  of  them,  wooden  boards,  or 
iron  plates,  were  struck  by  a hammer,  or  mallet.  We 
saw  a specimen  of  the  iron  plates,  in  the  convent  of 
Megaspelaeon.  This,  also,  is  a continuation  of  ancient 
customs.  Bells  were  first  used  by  the  Greeks  in  their 
churches  about  the  year  865. 


(x)  We  noticed  two  or  three  exceptions. 

( y ) Bingham,  vol.  iii.  p.  170. 


298 


PUBLIC  WORSHIP. 


Neither  organs,  nor  any  other  wind  instruments  of 
music,  are  heard  in  Grecian  worship.2  The  use  of 
organs  for  private  amusement,  is,  however,  more  ancient 
in  the  east,  than  in  the  west.  The  first  one  seen  in 
France,  was  a present  from  Constantine  Copronymus 
to  king  Pepin,  in  the  year  766.  Chrysostom  says,  that 
instrumental  music  was  permitted  to  the  Jews,  on  ac- 
count of  the  heaviness  and  grossness  of  their  souls; 
“but  we,”  says  he,  “employ  our  bodies  in  the  praises 
of  God.”a  The  Greeks  use  only  the  plain  song,  and 
that  is  as  far  removed  as  possible  from  melody. 

The  service  performed  in  the  churches  is  most  in- 
judiciously long.  As  a consequence  of  this,  it  is 
performed  so  rapidly,  that,  even  if  it  were  not  in  a dead 
language,  much  of  it  would  scarcely  be  understood. 
The  prayers  are  offered  standing,  except  on  the  day  of 
pentecost,  when  an  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  sup- 
plicated on  the  knees.  The  learned  antiquary  in  re- 
ligious matters,  to  whom  I have  been  repeatedly  indebt- 
ed, has  shown,  that  the  ancient  practice  of  the  church 
was  to  stand  in  prayer  always,  on  the  Lord’s  day,  and 
also  during  the  fifty  days  of  pentecost,  out  of  regard  to 
Christ’s  resurrection.b  During  the  service,  the  priest 
and  people  frequently  make  the  sign  of  the  cross;  that 
is,  they  join  together  the  three  first  fingers  of  the  right 
hand,  and  carry  them  to  the  forehead,  and  then  to  the 
right  shoulder,  and  to  the  left.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
service,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  many  of  the  people  to 
approach  the  pictures  of  the  favorite  saints,  and  testify 
their  affectionate  veneration  by  kissing  them,  and  mak- 
ing the  cross,  and  bowing  before  them. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  that  the  service  is  in  the  ancient 
Greek  language,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  is  unintelli- 
gible to  the  people.  This  is  true  of  the  public  worship 
of  the  Greeks  everywhere.  Among  the  Bulgarians, 


(z)  Wind  instruments  were  used  in  the  churches  of  the  ivest,  for  the 
first  time,  in  1290. 

(a)  Bingham,  vol.  v.  p.  233. 

(b)  Bingham,  vol.  v.  p.  259. 


SERVICE  IN  AN  UNKNOWN  TONGUE. 


299 


the  offices  of  religion  are  performed  either  in  the  Greek, 
or  in  the  ancient  language  of  the  country,  neither  of 
which  is  understood  by  the  people.  The  Wallachians 
are  believed  not  to  be  more  favored  in  this  respect;  and 
the  Russian  service  is  in  the  Slavonian  language,  which 
is  not  well  understood  by  the  greater  part  of  the  mod- 
ern Russians.  In  addition  to  this  it  may  be  remarked, 
in  order  to  show  how  generally  a vail  has  been  drawn 
over  the  gospel,  that  the  Armenians  worship  in  their 
ancient  language,  and  that  the  same  is  probably  true  of 
most  of  the  great  religious  sects  in  the  east.  The  na- 
tions professing  the  papal  religion,  as  is  well  known, 
all  employ  the  Latin  tongue.  How  desirable  that  the 
priests,  to  whom  the  many  millions  of  souls  in  these 
countries  look  for  instruction,  should  all  imbibe  the 
sentiments  of  the  great  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  who 
nobly  says — I would  rather  speak  five  words  with  my 
understanding , that  by  my  voice  I might  teach  others 
also , than  ten  thousand  words  in  an  unknown  tongue . 

I conclude  this  chapter  with  a brief  notice  of  the 
celebrated  colony  of  priests  at  mount  Athos. 

This  mountain  is  on  a peninsula  projecting  into  the 
northern  part  of  the  Archipelago,  not  far  from  the 
island  of  Lemnos.  It  is  connected  with  Macedo- 
nia, and  was  so  formidable  to  ancient  navigators,  that 
Xerxes  is  said  to  have  cut  a canal  through  the  isthmus. 
The  circumference  of  the  mountain  is  about  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  miles.  Its  summit  is  craggy  and  wild; 
but  its  middle  and  lower  regions,  being  watered  with 
springs  and  rills,  are  susceptible  of  cultivation,  and 
abound  with  shrubs  and  trees.  Here,  singularly  retired 
from  the  trade  and  travel  of  mankind,  has  been,  for 
many  ages,  the  chief  nursery  of  monastic  life  in  the 
Greek  church. 

The  number  of  monasteries  on  mount  Athos  is 
twenty-four,  of  which  three  have  been  long  in  ruins,  and 
four  were  kept  in  considerable  splendor  before  the 
Greek  revolution.  The  number  of  monks  connected 
with  the  monasteries  was  supposed  to  be  about  six 


300 


MOUNT  ATHOS. 


thousand,  though  it  was  always  the  case  that  many  were 
absent,  and  tribute  was  paid  to  the  Turks  for  only  half 
that  number.0  Women  were  not  allowed  to  enter 
these  convents. 

Mount  Athos  became  the  resort  of  monks  as  early 
as  the  reign  of  Constantine  the  Great.  The  members 
of  the  fraternity  are  divided  into  caloyers,  or  priests, 
and  lay-brothers,  the  latter  of  whom  manage  the  secu- 
lar concerns.  The  duties  of  the  caloyer  are  severe. 
He  spends  life  in  a hurried  reading  of  the  Psalter,  and 
in  making  genuflections  and  prostrations.  Thus  he 
occupies  the  first  two  hours  of  the  night,  and  the  first 
two  after  midnight.  At  four  he  begins  again,  and  the 
day  is  spent  in  these  vain  repetitions. 

The  revenues  of  the  monasteries  are  derived  from 
the  lands  adjoining  them  on  the  mountain,  from  their 
metochia,  or  farms,  in  various  parts  of  Turkey,  and 
from  collections  made  by  travelling  members  of  the  fra- 
ternity. Mount  Athos  was  one  of  the  few  places,  where 
the  privilege  of  using  bells  was  allowed  to  the  Greeks. 

In  the  first  year  of  the  revolution,  the  Turks  imposed 
upon  the  colony  a contribution  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  took  hostages  for  the  good  behavior  of  the 
monks;  and  then  they  murdered  the  hostages,  and 
many  of  the  priests,  robbed  the  churches  of  their  rich 
and  showy  ornaments,  and  cruelly  oppressed  the  whole 
community.*1 


(c)  "There  are  five  modes,  at  mount  Athos.  The  most  rigid  are  the 
'hermits’ — ipvjutrou — who  live  solitary.  The  second  in  severity  are  call- 
ed ia-KWcLi^  ‘ascetics:’  they  are  not  quite  so  savage  in  their  mortifications 
as  the  hermits.  The  third  are  called  nomfiioi,  from  their  having  all  things 
in  common.  The  fourth  are  named  'Mpvby.oi,  from  their  living  after 
their  own  rhyme  and  reason.  A fifth,  called  KiK^uZna,  are  still  more 
sumptuous,  as  they  may  have  HtKKttov,  'a  room/  to  themselves.” — Joieett’s 
Chr.  Res.  in  Mediterranean. 

(d)  Howe’s  Greek  Revolution,  p.  66, 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  GREECE. 


General  remarks  upon  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  the  people — Reasons 
for  anticipating  a reform — .Missionary  operations — Remarks  upon  the  meas- 
ures to  be  pursued  by  Protestants  for  the  benefit  of  oriental  churches. 

The  few  remaining  observations  will  be  limited  to 
that  small,  yet  peculiarly  interesting,  portion  of  the 
Greek  church,  which  exists  in  liberated  Greece.  And 
it  is  impossible  not  to  remark  the  spiritual  darkness  that 
has  overshadowed  it,  corresponding  almost  with  the 
strong  language  used  by  government  in  a late  address  to 
the  bishops.  The  condition  of  the  people,  under  Turkish 
despotism,  is  there  compared  to  the  confusion  and  gloom 
of  chaos,  and  they  are  declared  to  have  been  so  shrouded 
in  darkness  that,  being  unable  to  distinguish  sacred 
things  from  profane,  they  confounded  both  in  their  prac- 
tice. After  a slavery  of  nearly  four  centuries,  preceded 
by  ages  of  decline  and  controversy — destitute  of  the 
Scriptures,  with  an  illiterate  priesthood,  with  the  church 
service  in  an  unknown  language,  with  no  preaching, 
with  no  general  and  enlightened  system  of  education, 
and  with  the  sword  of  Mohammed  turning  every  way  in 
the  road  to  improvement — it  would  be  injustice  to  the 
Greeks  to  expect  anything  short  of  general  ignorance, 
and  a general  absence  of  spiritual  life.  Considering  hu- 
man nature,  any  other  result  would  be  miraculous.  I 
know  not  that  well  informed  Greeks  pretend  any  other. 
So  far  as  we  observed,  the  confession  of  ignorance  was 
universal;  and  an  admission,  that  some  things  in  the 
church  needed  reformation,  was  by  no  means  uncom- 
mon. These  admissions,  however,  had  respect  rather 
to  the  externals  of  religion,  the  rites  and  ceremonies, 
26 


302 


SUPERSTITION  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 


than  to  vital  principles.  Probably  there  are  few,  who 
suspect  any  great  dereliction  from  these  principles. 
With  united  voice  the  people  would  perhaps  say,*  “The 
faith  of  the  church  is  right.”  Having  often  heard  this 
declaration  made  by  Greeks  and  Latins,  I have  some- 
times endeavored  to  obtain  a minute  explication  of  its 
meaning.  Does  it  mean,  that  the  living  members  of  the 
church,  its  clergy  and  laity,  are  all  correct  in  their 
opinions?  Or  that  a majority  of  them  are  so?  Or  that  the 
decisions  of  its  councils  are  all  correct,  and  all,  of 
course,  consistent  with  each  other?  And  what  is  meant 
by  the  church ? I never  heard  a satisfactory  explanation 
of  this  and  am  convinced  that  the  people  cherish  the  notion 
without  reflecting  much  upon  it.  It  is  a favorite  point. 
If  the  church  is  right,  they,  as  members  of  it,  are  in  a 
fair  way  to  secure  its  mysterious  benefits. 

We  have  seen  that  a part,  at  least,  of  the  vital  truths 
of  the  gospel  are  found  in  the  symbols  of  the  Greek 
church.  These  the  church  in  Greece  will  not  refuse  to 
receive;  and  a still  more  interesting  prospect  will  open, 
when  we  shall  explain  the  nature  of  a treatise  on  divinity, 
that  is  probably  destined  to  become  one  of  the  manuals 
of  her  theologians. 

The  Greek  mind  is  remarkable  for  its  perspicacity 
and  quickness,  and  many  of  the  clergy  discover  much 
discrimination  and  ingenuity  in  defending  their  peculiar 
opinions.  In  general,  they  argue  without  heat,  and  with 
apparent  candor,  and  one,  going  among  them  from  a 
popish  community,  cannot  but  be  struck  with  their  defer- 
ence to  the  Scriptures.  But  they  have  yet  to  learn  to 
discriminate  readily  and  decisively  between  the  decis- 
ions of  the  Bible,  and  those  of  councils  and  fathers. 

The  errors  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter  are  held 
by  the  people  of  liberated  Greece.  They  evince  a 
strong  attachment  to  the  practice  of  invoking  the  good 
offices  of  saints  and  angels.  Indeed  every  island  has  its 
tutelary  saint.  Almost  every  church  is  dedicated  to 
some  one.  Every  city,  mountain,  grove,  fountain,  and 
individual  in  classic  Greece,  may  be  said,  as  in  ancient 


SUPERSTITION  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 


303 


times,  to  exist  under  the  supposed  guardianship  of  some 
power  exalted  from  the  race  of  mortals.  Among  the 
saints,  the  virgin  Mary  is  supposed  to  shine  with  pecu- 
liar glory.  It  is  wonderful  what  hold  she  has  upon  the 
affections  of  the  people.  They  call  her  the  “mother-of- 
God,”  the  “all-holy,”  and  the  “great  mediatrix  between 
God  and  man;”  a and  her  picture,  with  a lamp  burning 
before  it  at  night,  is  generally  found  in  private  dwellings, 
and  in  Greek  vessels.  They  greatly  venerate  the  cross.b 
The  reverence  for  pictures  is  as  great  in  Greece,  as  is 
that  for  images  in  Italy;  and  both  Greeks  and  Latins 
equally  transgress  the  divine  command,  which  forbids 
the  making  of  graven-images,  or  the  likeness  of  anything 
in  heaven,  or  on  earth. 

I could  not  avoid  the  conclusion,  that  the  religion  of 
the  people  at  large  consists  very  much  in  external  ob- 
servances. And  here  I must  say  again — we  should  not 
wonder  that  it  is  so.  They  have  not  had  the  Scrip- 
tures; their  priests  have  been  ignorant;  they  have  had 
no  instruction;  they  have  not  enjoyed  the  means  of  un- 
derstanding the  gospel.  A series  of  rites  and  ceremo- 
nies has  been  all  they  have  seen  of  religion,  and  they  (I 
mean  the  common  m ass  of  the  people)  have  naturally  sup- 
posed that  this  is  all.  In  this  manner  the  divinely  appoint- 
ed connection  between  religion  and  morality,  has  been 
severed.  A man’s  religion  is  measured  by  the  ritual  of 
the  church,  rather  than  by  the  law  of  God.  The  mistake 
has  been  committed,  which  is  condemned  by  our  Lord, 
of  tithing  mint,  anise,  and  cummin,  and  omitting  the 
weightier  matters.  He  is  a religious  man, who  is  exact 
in  his  observance  of  the  forms  of  religion,  although  he 
may  afford  the  strongest  proofs  that  he  is  destitute  of  its 
spirit  and  power.  On  the  other  hand,  when  people  of 
the  lower  ranks,  have  inquired,  what  religion  Ameri- 


(a)  Jowett's  Chr.  Researches  in  Mediterranean,  p.  46. 

(b)  Down  by  the  water's  edge,  in  one  of  the  Grecian  islands, we  saw  a 
small  church  built  under  a mass  of  rock — we  could  not  conceive  why, 
until  we  saw  that  a fracture  had  exposed  some  veins  in  the  rock,  travers- 
ing each  other  in  the  form  of  a cross.  The  church  was  built  in  honor  o f 
this  lusus  natures. 


304  REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM. 

cans  professed,  we  have  described  to  them  the  love  for 
the  Bible  which  many  have,  their  strict  observance  of 
the  Sabbath,  their  conscientious  regard  for  truth,  their 
faithful  performance  of  relative  duties,  their  purity  of 
life,  and  their  daily  and  fervent  prayer  to  God  in  the 
closet.  But  do  they  eat  meat  in  their  fasts?  Yes.  Do 
they  make  the  sign  of  ther  cross?  No.  Do  they  con- 
fess to  the  priests,  and  invoke  the  saints?  No.  And  I 
have  remarked  how  forcibly  these  deficiencies  struck 
their  minds,  going  far  to  deprive  us,  in  their  estimation, 
of  the  Christian  character. 

Yet  must  it  not  be  understood,  that  the  Greeks  be- 
lieve there  is  no  salvation  out  of  the  pale  of  their 
church.  They  estimate  the  dignity  and  privileges  of 
membership  in  their  church  very  highly,  but  they  set 
up  no  such  arrogant  claim  as  this. 

Repeated  mention  was  made  in  the  former  part  of 
this  volume,  of  the  neglect  of  the  Sabbath  in  Greece. 
This  is  a most  formidable  obstacle  to  the  prevalence  of 
truth,  but  perhaps  not  greater  than  the  truth  had  to  en- 
counter at  some  periods  of  the  English  history.  The 
requirement  by  law,  that  the  election  of  representatives 
to  their  last  national  congress  should  be  made  on  that 
day,  is  a melancholy  fact.c 

And  nowT  what  are  the  principal  reasons  for  antici- 
pating a reform  in  this  church? 

1.  The  general  confession  of  ignorance,  and  of  a 
departure  to  some  extent  from  the  ancient  simplicity 
and  purity  of  the  church,  is  a favorable  omen.  Such 
a conviction  as  this  implies,  is  indispensable;  little  will 
be  effected  without  it;  and  by  it  the  way  is  in  some 
measure  prepared  for  remedial  operations. 

2.  The  government  declares  itself  to  be  aiming  at  a 
reform  in  the  church.  It  says,  in  a circular  address 
to  the  bishops  and  clergy,  that  “the  design  of  the  na- 
tion and  of  the  government  is,  the  improvement  of  the 
clergy,  the  good  order  of  the  church,  and  the  provid- 


(c)  P.  207. 


REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM.  305 


ing  of  a comfortable  living  to  the  ministers  of  religion; 
so  that,  being  free  from  secular  cares,  the}?-  may  engage 
more  diligently  in  the  administration  of  divine  things, 
and  the  care  of  souls.”  And  it  calls  upon  the  whole 
body  of  the  clergy  “to  co-operate  with  godly  zeal  in 
the  promoting  of  this  object,  taking  up  the  shield  of 
faith  and  the  sword  of  the  spirit,  and  fighting  against 
the  spirits  of  wickedness,  the  abominable  passions,  that 
have  found  their  way  into  the  tent  of  Christ,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  past  irregularity.”  It  is  added,  “The 
night  is  far  spent,  the  day  is  at  hand;  and  now,  from  the 
lofty  spiritual  firmament  of  the  church,  on  which  you 
are  placed  as  lights,  send  forth  the  beams  of  the  divine 
word;  proclaim  the  law  of  God  to  the  people;  preach 
peace;  announce  the  glad  tidings  of  fraternal  concord; 
teach  love  of  the  brethren,  love  to  each  other,  that  all 
may  be  one  in  Christ;  confirm  the  hearts  of  the  faith- 
ful in  the  divine  doctrines;  and  inspire  them  with  the 
fear  of  God,  love  to  their  neighbors,  and  obedience  to 
existing  authorities.”  d 


(d)  From  an  address  purporting-  to  be  from  the  bishops,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  the  government  paper,  I make  the  following  extracts. 

“Let  us  submit  to  God,  to  each  other,  and  to  our  earthly  rulers.  This 
is  a summary  of  the  religious  and  civil  duties  of  the  true  Christian  and 
the  good  citizen,  which  the  heavenly  Lawgiver,  the  author  and  finisher 
of  our  unspotted  faith,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  has  taught. 

“Obedience  to  God,  is  the  fulfilment  of  his  commandments,  and  an  evi- 
dence of  love  to  him.  ‘He  that  loveth  me,  keepeth  my  commandments.' 
Thus,  by  obeying  God,  we  fulfil  the  first  and  great  commandment,  ‘Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,7  &c. 

“Submission  to  each  other,  produces  and  preserves  unanimity  and 
peace  among  the  citizens,  and  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  second  command- 
ment, ‘Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  t.hjTself.7  It  is  even  fulfilling  of 
the  law,  according  to  the  apostle,  ‘He  that  loveth  his  neighbor,  hath  ful- 
filled the  whole  Jaw.7 

“Secular  power,  as  it  is  sent  from  God,  according  to  the  apostle,  is  a 
minister  of  the  ordinances  of  the  Almighty  God,  and  by  punishing  the 
transgressors,  and  rewarding  the  keepers,  of  the  divine  laws,  it  preserves 
justice  among  mankind,  which  is  the  soul  of  every  civil  society.  Sub- 
mission, therefore,  to  rulers  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  divine  will;  and,  “who- 
soever resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the  ordinance  of  God.7 

“Every  Christian,  therefore,  owes  submission  to  God,  submission  to 
existing  authorities,  submission  to  his  neighbor.  To  God,  for  every  rea- 
son; to  authorities,  for  the  sake  of  good  order;  to  his  neighbor,  for  the 
sake  of  brotherly  love;  as  the  theologian  Gregory  says.  These  sacred 
duties  every  Christian  should  strive  to  fulfil,  and  especially  we  of  the 
*26 


306  REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM. 

The  intention  of  the  government  probably  is,  to  con- 
nect the  church  closely  with  the  state.  This  we  can- 
not but  lament.  Yet,  such  being  the  fact,  we  feel  the 
more  interested  to  know,  that  the  civil  authorities  feel 
the  need  of  a moral  reformation.6 

3.  An  exceedingly  interesting  feature  in  the  church 
of  Greece,  is  the  disposition  of  its  members  to  favor 
the  circulation  of  the  holy  Scriptures.  This  was  a 
trait  of  the  Greeks  in  ancient  times.  The  reading  of 
the  word  of  God  was  then  greatly  encouraged.  It  was 
customary  in  those  ages,  (when  copies  of  the  Scriptures, 
being  made  with  the  pen,  were  necessarily  rare,)  to 
deposit  Bibles,  in  the  common  language  of  the  people, 
in  convenient  parts  of  the  church,  so  that  the  people 
might  read  them  at  their  leisure.  Eusebius  says,  that 
Constantine  ordered  him  to  prepare  fifty  copies  of  the 
Bible  for  the  use  of  the  church  at  Constantinople;  and 
that  the  emperor  was  wont  to  employ  himself  in  the 
church  in  reading  the  divine  oracles. — “Private  Chris- 
tians, both  men  and  women,  then  enjoyed  the  Scrip- 
tures as  their  birthright,  and  none  pretended  to  ravish 
them  from  them  but  only  the  persecuting  heathens.  The 
fathers  of  the  church  were  so  far  from  doing  this,  that, 

clergy,  who  ought  to  teach  the  word  of  God;  and  to  confirm  our  words 
by  our  actions,  becoming  a pattern  of  virtue  to  the  people,  according  to 
the  divine  apostle. 

“Now,  especially,  when  the  Lord  has  visited  his  long-afflicted  people, 
it  becomes  us,  in  obedience  to  the  divine  will,  to  strive  to  discharge  our 
sacred  duties,  by  aiding  government  in  the  accomplishment  of  their  ob- 
ject, which  is  to  render  the  whole  nation  happy. 

“Let  us,  beloved  brethren,  inspire  our  people  with  piety  towards  God, 
respect  towards  sacred  things,  submission  to  divine  commands,  obedi- 
ence to  government,  love  and  unanimity  among  themselves;  we  ourselves 
becoming  patterns  of  the  flock  by  our  blameless  life,  being  and  appearing 
'vigilant,  sober,  of  good  behavior,  given  to  hospitality,  apt  to  teach,  pa- 
tient, not  brawlers,  not  covetous/  as  St.  Paul  commands.” 

The  government,  in  one  of  its  circulars  to  the  rulers  of  the  church,  or- 
ders them  to  forbid  the  assembling  of  priests  in  public  places,  coffee- 
houses, taverns,  etc. 

(e)  There  is  no  probability  that  the  church  in  Greece  will  hold  the  re- 
lations to  the  patriarch  of  Constantinople,  which  it  has  sustained  in  times 
past.  If  it  does  not  declare  itself  entirely  independent,  as  the  Russian 
church  has  done,  it  will  doubtless  restrict  his  interference  to  matters 
strictly  ecclesiastical.  The  ordinary  details  of  business  may  be  commit- 
ted to  a metropolitan,  or  synod,  chosen  from  among  themselves. 


REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM.  307 

on  the  contrary,  they  used  all  manner  of  arguments  to 
induce  men  to  read  and  study  them;  exhorting  men  not 
only  to  hear  them  with  attention  in  the  church,  but  to 
read  them  privately  at  home  with  their  wives  and  fami- 
lies; commending  those  that  studied  them,  and  reprov- 
ing those  that  neglected  them;  making  large  encomi- 
ums upon  the  use  and  excellency  of  them,  and  requiring 
men  to  peruse  them  privately  as  the  best  preparation 
for  the  public  service  and  instruction.  They  also  an- 
swered all  objections  and  pretences  that  men  could 
make  to  the  contrary;  as  that  they  were  ignorant  and 
unlearned,  and  that  the  Scriptures  were  difficult  and 
hard  to  be  understood;  that  they  were  only  for  the  use 
of  monks  and  priests,  and  not  for  secular  men  and  men 
of  business;  assuring  them  that  the  Scriptures  were  for 
the  use  of  all  men,  and  that  it  was  the  neglect  of  them 
that  was  the  cause  of  all  ignorance,  heresies,  errors, 
and  irreligion.  These  were  the  general  topics,  upon 
which  the  fathers  then  pressed  the  common  people  to 
read  the  Scriptures — arguments  directly  opposite  to 
those  used  in  later  ages  to  dissuade  and  deter  men  from 
the  use  of  them.  A man  cannot  look  into  the  fathers, 
but  he  will  see  such  arguments  everywhere  running 
through  their  writings.”  f 

The  feeling  of  the  modern  Greeks  in  relation  to  the 
Scriptures,  appears  to  resemble  that  of  ancient  times, 
much  more  than  it  does  that  of  the  Roman  Catholics. 
While  we  were  on  the  island  of  Tenos,  I became  ac- 
quainted with  an  intelligent  Greek  priest,  who  one  day 
challenged  me  to  say,  whether  I had  found  a member 
of  their  church,  who  was  unfriendly  to  the  circula- 
tion of  the  Scriptures.  I was  happy  to  answer  in  the 
negative.  Neither  Mr.  Smith,  nor  myself,  recollect  an 
instance  of  this  kind.  The  Greeks  are  fond  of  draw- 
ing a comparison  between  themselves  and  the  Romish 
church,  on  this  point.  I heard  the  priest  above  men- 
tioned read  to  his  people  those  passages  from  the  modern 


(f)  See  Bingham’s  Christ.  Antiq.  voi.  v.  p.  101.  The  same  writer 
quotes  an  admirable  passage  from  Chrysostom  on  the  subject. 


308  REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM. 


Greek  Testament,  which,  according  to  the  rites  of  his 
church,  he  had  previously  read  in  the  ancient  Greek. 
This  he  did,  as  lie  assured  me,  at  the  suggestion  of  his 
superiors. 

Doct.  Korck,  Mr.  Barker,  and  Mr.  King,  distributed 
six  or  eight  thousand  copies  of  the  New  Testament  in 
Greece,  during  a single  year.  Many  of  these  were 
sold,  and  I have  not  heard  that  opposition  was  raised 
anywhere,  except  by  some  Greeks  in  the  Cyclades, 
who  are  connected  with  the  Romish  church. 

4.  The  progress  of  schools,  and  the  disposition  of 
the  people  to  receive  school-books  possessing  a 
sound  religious  character,  is  another  favorable  indica- 
tion. Just  as  I am  preparing  this  sheet  for  the  press,  I 
learn,  from  an  esteemed  Greek  correspondent,  that,  in 
March  last,  the  Lancasterian  schools  of  liberated 
Greece  had  increased  from  twenty-five,  their  number 
when  we  were  in  the  country,  to  sixty-two,  containing 
5,418  scholars.  There  were,  also,  fifty  Hellenic  schools, 
with  2,406  scholars.  The  greater  part  of  the  Lancasterian 
schools  were  supplied  with  books  and  apparatus  through 
Doct.  Korck,  acting  as  the  agent  of  philhellenes  in 
England  and  America.  Most  of  the  books  were,  to 
some  extent,  of  a religious  nature,  hut  were  not  on  that 
account  received  the  less  cheerfully  by  the  Greeks. 
This  is  specially  true  of  the  Alphabetarion,  already 
mentioned.^  Twelve  thousand  copies  have  been  distrib- 
uted among  the  youth  of  Greece,  and  yet  the  mission- 
ary is  constrained  to  ask,  that  at.  least  fifteen  thousand 
copies  more  might  be  immediately  provided.11 

5.  An  examination  of  Platon’s  summary  of  Christian 
divinity,  mentioned  at  page  256,  has,  in  connection  with 
the  facts  about  to  be  stated,  greatly  encouraged  my  own 
mind  with  respect  to  the  church  in  Greece.  The 
author  of  this  work  was  formerly  metropolitan  of  Mos- 

(g)  Pages  235  and  245. 

(h)  An  edition  of  15.000  copies  is  now  printing  in  this  country,  as  the 
press  at  Malta  cannot  supply  the  demand  made  upon  it  for  other  school- 
books. 


REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM.  309 

cow,  and  published  his  treatise  in  1765.  “Since  that 
period,”  says  Dr.  Pinkerton,  who  translated  it  into  the 
English  language,  “it  has  gone  through  many  large  edi- 
tions, and  has  been  introduced  into  almost  every  place 
of  education  in  the  [Russian]  empire.  It  was  strongly 
recommended  to  the  translator  by  some  of  the  first  dig- 
nitaries of  die  Russian  church,  as  containing  a just  view 
of  the  doctrines  believed  and  taught  in  their  communion.” 
1 have  already  remarked,  that  Professor  Bambas  com- 
mended it  to  us,  as  faithfully  exhibiting  the  doctrines  of 
the  Greek  church.  Coray  translated  it  into  modem 
Greek,  and  printed  an  edition  at  Paris;  and  Professor 
Typaldos  reprinted  that  translation  at  Corfu,  with  some 
observations  of  his  own.  His  edition  is  made  a text- 
book in  the  theological  seminary  of  the  Ionian  Islands; 
and  there  is  good  reason  to  believe,  that  the  work  of 
Platon  will  become  a manual  for  the  student  in  theology 
throughout  Greece.  It  is,  therefore,  a very  interesting 
inquiry,  what  views  Platon  takes  of  the  Christian 
religion . 

The  treatise  is  composed  of  three  parts.  (1.)  On 
the  knowledge  of  God  as  derived  from  nature,  being 
preparatory  to  an  exhibition  of  the  gospel.  (2.)  Of  the 
gospel.  (3.)  Of  the  law.  Each  of  these  parts  is  di- 
vided into  sections,  and  each  section  concisely  unfolds 
a distinct  subject,  which  is  clearly  enunciated  at  the 
head  of  the  section.  The  Scriptures  are  freely,  and 
often  appositely,  quoted  for  proof  and  illustration.  The 
style  is  unaffected  and  perspicuous. — I shall  first  point 
out  some  of  the  coincidences,  or  near  approximations,  of 
Platon’s  opinions  and  those  of  evangelical  Christians  of 
the  Protestant  churches;  and  then,  show  how  far  he 
countenances  the  more  prominent  errors  of  his  church. 

Platon’s  views  of  the  inspiration,  authority,  and  dig- 
nity of  the  holy  Scriptures,  are  excellent.  He  calls 
them  the  only  perfect  and  unerring  rule  of  faith  and 
practice.1  God  he  represents  as  a pure  spirit,  omniscient, 


(i)  See  p.  127  of  Platon’s  work,  American  edition,  published  at  New 
York  in  1815.—' “The  holy  Scriptures  reason  so  sublimely  of  the  maj- 


310  REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM. 


infinitely  wise,j  free,  good,  just,  holy,  and  powerful. 
He  states  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  in  the  strong  lan- 
guage, which  was  early  devised  by  the  Christian  church 
as  a barrier  against  Arianism.  The  much  contested 
doctrine  of  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost  from  the 
F ather  only,  he  affirms;  but  pronounces  it  an  unsearch- 
able mystery,  and  not  a proper  subject  for  protracted 
controversy.  He  inculcates  the  belief  of  a particular 
providence,  and  the  existence  of  good  and  evil  angels. 

“The  foreknowledge  of  God”  he  says,  “is  certain; 
however,  it  doth  not  infringe  the  liberty  of  man’s  will;  that 
is,  we  ought  not  to  suppose  that  we  are  obliged  by  some 
fatal  necessity  to  do  good  or  evil;  for  God  seelli  the  future 
as  he  beholdeth  the  present,  consequently,  from  eternity 
itself,  he  seelli  the  actions  of  men  just  as  they  are  to 
happen  in  time,  according  to  the  law  of  free-will.  But 
the  free  act  of  God’s  foreknowledge  does  not  infringe 
on  man’s  liberty.  God  could  by  force  keep  men  from 
sinning;  but  were  lie  to  do  so,  then  the  freedom  of 
man’s  will  would  be  infringed,  and  in  so  doing  he  would 
have  acted  contrary  to  his  infinite  wisdom,  which  requir- 
eth  man  to  be  free  in  all  his  acts.” 

He  takes  much  pains  to  state  and  illustrate  the  doctrine 
of  human  depravity,  as  being  essential  to  a satisfactory 

esty  of  God,  and  of  the  mysteries  of  our  salvation,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
imagine  any  thing  more  exalted.  The  worship  therein  required  of  us,  is 
such  as  becomelh  God  to  receive,  and  reasonable  creatures  to  give;  for 
we  are  commanded  to  worship  in  sincerity,  and  a contrite  spirit  is  repre- 
sented to  be  a most  acceptable  offering  to  God.”  p.  67. 

“There  are  different  things  contained  in  the  holy  Scriptures,  as  the 
commandments  of  the  law,  rides  of  morality,  prophecies,  accounts  of  dif- 
ferent revelations  which  God  made  of  himself  to  man,  miracles  and  prom- 
ises; together  with  many  accounts  of  the  transactions  of  men.  However, 
all  these  tend  to  nothing  else  but  to  the  revelation  of  the  eternal  counsels 
of  God,  concerning  the  salvation  of  mankind  through  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  Thus,  for  instance,  the  law,  by  bringing  us  to  the  knowledge  of 
our  guilt  before  God,  leads  us  to  seek  for  a deliverer;  the  prophecies 
proclaim  his  approach;  the  sacrifices  point  him  out;-  the  different  revela- 
tions which  God  made  of  himself,  either  prepare  us  to  receive  the  faith  of 
Christ,  or  illustrate  more  clearly  the  acts  of  our  Saviour.  And  all  the 
promises  of  God,  in  assuring  us  of  the  mercy  of  our  heavenly  Father,  rest 
on  Jesus  Christ,  as  our  mediator  with  God.”  p.  70. 

(j)  “When  we  suppose,  that  we  observe  in  the  world  an}'  sort  of  disorder, 
this  arises  from  our  inability  to  penetrate  into  the  whole  connection  of 
things,  which,  if  we  could  once  comprehend,  we  should  be  astonished  at 
the  infinite  wisdom  of  God.”  p.  44. 


REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM.  311 


explanation  of  the  gospel.  Man  he  describes  as  by  na- 
ture weak,  blind,  forlorn,  ruined,  morally  dead,  altogether 
unable  to  do  good,  and  needing  spiritual  regeneration. 
All  men  are  guilty  of  sinning  every  moment,  in  thought, 
word,  or  action;  all  are  by  nature  the  servants  of  sin; 
none  can  bh  justified  at  the  bar  of  eternal  equity,  be- 
cause perfect  obedience  is  there  required;  our  only 
hope  is  in  the  goodness  of  God,  through  Christ.k 

The  atonement,  according  to  Platon,  was  made  for 
all  men.  The  benefits  of  this  atonement  are  secured 
by  faith,  unfeigned,  sincere,  living,  working  by  love, 
constraining  to  active  obedience.* 1 * * * * * 

Spiritual  life  is  restored  to  man  by  the  gracious  oper- 
ations of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  he,  who  softens  the 


(k)  See  p.  55,  56. — “The  holy  Scriptures  more  particularly  put  us  in 
remembrance,  that  man  of  himself  has  not  sufficient  power  to  reconcile 
God,  and  that  he  every  moment  provokes  him  to  anger.  'For  we  have 
before  proved  both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  that  they  are  all  under  sin/  Rom. 
iii.  9;  that  is,  that  all  mankind  are  fallen  into  the  abyss  of  iniquiry,  and  are 
unable  to  deliver  themselves  out  of  it.  This  truth  ought  to  be  strongly 
impressed  on  the  mind  of  every  one;  because  it  points  out  to  man  how 
much  he  stands  in  need  of  the  faith  of  the  gospel;  and  hence  the  apostle 
Paul  arranged  his  reasonings  in  the  epistles  to  the  Romans,  Galatians,  and 
Hebrews,  in  the  same  order  which  we  have  here  taken  to  prove  that  man 
is  in  a helpless  state.  And  indeed  no  one  will  seek  for  a physician  till 
once  he  be  convinced  of  his  being  in  great  distress. 

“However,  some  will  perhaps  say;  what,  are  we  then  to  fall  into  despair? 
Certainly,  if  you  continue  to  look  up  to  yourselves  for  help.  But  when 
we  reflect  on  the  inexhaustible  g'ood ness  of  God,  and  on  his  infinite  wis- 
dom, then  we  are  comforted  by  hope,  and  our  fears  are  dispelled;  and  in 
this  hope  we  ought  frequently  to  join  in  the  words  of  Isaiah:  'Except  the 
Lord  of  hosts  had  left  unto  us  a very  small  remnant,  we  should  have  been 
as  Sodom,  and  we  should  have  been  like  unto  Gomorrah/  i.  9;  also  Gal. 
iii.  16.  And  we  ought  to  keep  in  remembrance  these  words  of  Paul  to  the 
Romans:  ‘But  now  the  righteousness  of  God  without  the  law  is  manifested, 
being  witnessed  by  the  law  and  the  prophets;  even  the  righteousness  of 
God,  which  is  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  unto  all  and  upon  all  them  that  be- 
lieve.’ Rom.  iii.  21.  22.”  p.  61. 

(l)  “Verily,  ‘Christ  died  for  all.’  2 Cor.  v 15.  And  there  is  no  one  so 
great  a shiner  whom  Iris  grace  alone  is  not  able  to  save.  But  in  order  that 
this  grace  may  become  effectual  in  us,  faith  is  requisite,  that  is,  we  must 
heartily  recei  ve  Je-  us  Christ  as  our  Saviour,  and  without  doubting,  rest 
assured,  that  onty  through  him  we  can  be  made  partakers  of  the  mere}'  of 

God.  Without  the  infinite  merits  of  Christ  all  our  attempts  are  in  vain, 

and  man  can  never  be  saved.  This  is  elearty  taught  everywhere  in  the 

word  of  God,  John  iii,  15;  'For  God  so  'oved  the  world  that  he  gave  his 

only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believelh  hi  him  should  not  perish,  but 

have  everlasting  life/  and  verse  18,  'He  that  believelh  on  him  is  not  con- 

demned, but  he  that  believelh  not  is  condemned  already.7  When  we  con- 


312  REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM. 


heart,  enlightens  the  understanding,  cleanses  from  sin, 
unites  unto  Christ.  He  guides  in  the  performance  of 
duty,  comforts  and  sustains  in  trials  and  temptations, 
and  assures  us  of  our  interest  in  the  divine  love. 

Platon  is  clear  and  satisfactory  on  the  doctrines  of 
the  resurrection,  the  general  judgment,  and  the  eternal 
awards  of  happiness  to  the  righteous  and  punishment  to 
the  wicked. 

His  description  of  the  true  church  of  Christ  is  cath- 
olic and  scriptural.™  He  holds  it  to  be  desirable,  that 
all  men  should  exercise  themselves  in  reading  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  censures  the  Romish  church  because  it  has 
forbidden  the  reading  of  them  to  the  common  people. 
He  condemns  formal  prayers,  ostentatious  worship,  and 
self-righteous  observances. 

His  remarks  on  the  Christian  Sabbath,  would  meet 
the  views  of  the  churches  of  New  England.  He  says, 
that  God  requires  that  day  to  be  set  apart  for  his  ser- 
vice. Man,  and  his  brute  dependents,  should  rest,  that 
day,  from  secular  labors;  except  in  cases  of  extreme 
necessity,  “as  when  our  property  is  on  fire,  or  in  case 
of  the  invasion  of  an  enemy,  the  sickness  of  a neigh- 
bor, or  any  other  thing  where  the  general  good  requires 
immediate  exertion,  and  that  no  time  shall  be  lost.” 
We  should  attend  the  public  worship  of  God,  and,  in 
the  great  congregation,  give  thanks  for  our  mercies, 


sider  faith  as  essential  to  salvation,  it  is  to  be  understood,  that  we  mean 
faith  unfeigned,  sincere,  and  living,  that  is,  ‘faith  which  workelh  by  love.’ 
Gal.  v.  6.”  p.  119. 

‘■  While  the  death  of  Christ  engages  our  heavenly  father,  to  give  to  the 
believers  in  his  Son,  every  thing  that  his  love  and  mercy  can  bestow;  so 
also,  believers  themselves  are  thereby  engaged  to  shew  their  gratitude  for 
this,  by  continually  striving,  in  all  that  they  do,  to  please  God;  and,  in 
this  mutual  engagement  the  new  covenant  consists,  which  is  founded  on 
the  blood  of  Christ:  as  Matthew  writes,  xxvi.  28,  ‘This  is  my  blood  of  the 
new  covenant.’  ” p.  118. 

(m)  “On  the  reception  of  the  gospel  by  all  nations  in  the  east  and  the 
west,  in  the  south  and  in  the  north,  a holy  society  of  God’s  chosen  was 
formed;  and  this  is  the  church  of  Christ,  which  is  not  like  the  Jewish 
church,  confined  to  one  nation;  but  is  composed  of  many  different  nations, 
peoples,  and  tribes,  under  heaven,  in  every  part  of  the  world;  and  thus 
was  fulfilled  the  promise  which  God  made  to  Abraham,  ‘in  thy  seed  shall 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed.’  Gen.  xxii.  18.”  p.  129. 


REASONS  FOR  ANTICIPATING  A REFORM.  313 

confess  our  sins,  supplicate  grace,  and  seriously  attend 
to  the  reading  and  preaching  of  God’s  word.  At  home, 
men  should  employ  their  time  in  prayer,  and  in  reading 
for  their  spiritual  edification.  Parents  should  instruct 
their  children,  masters  their  servants,  teachers  their 
pupils,  stewards  those  who  are  committed  to  their 
charge,  and  every  one  his  neighbor.  We  should  also, 
on  this  day,  devote  a part  of  our  property  to  charita- 
ble uses.  “He  who  observes  these,”  says  Platon, 
“sanctifies  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord,  and  even  in  this 
life  his  eternal  Sabbath  begins;  that  is,  the  rest  which  is 
enjoyed  by  the  blessed  in  another  life.”  n 

With  these  and  other  sterling  excellencies,  the  work 
has  some  great  defects. — By  a Greek,  Platon  would  be 
understood  to  inculcate  the  doctrine  of  baptismal  regen- 
eration, though  perhaps  he  did  not  design  to  do  so:  he 
says,  the  invisible  effects  of  baptism  are  attained  by 
faith.  He  makes  too  much  of  rites.  Thus,  he  affirms 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  descends  on  the  person  bap- 
tized, through  the  holy  ordinance  of  the  chrism.  He 
teaches  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation.  He  gives 
too  much  countenance  to  traditions  and  ceremonies, 
such  as  the  use  of  candles  in  churches,  the  burning  of 
incense,  making  the  sign  of  the  cross,  consecrating 
waters,  adorning  the  churches  with  pictures,  etc.  He 
defends  the  invocation  of  saints,  as  not  contrary  to  the 
first  commandment  of  the  decalogue:  and  the  worship- 
ping of  pictures,  as  consistent  with  the  second.  He 
evidently  feels  much  at  a loss  how  to  preserve,  in  these 
defences,  even  a plausible  consistency  with  the  great 
truths  of  revelation,  which  he  had  previously  explained.0 


(n)  See  pp. 195, 196. 

(o)  He  administers  this  caution. — “But  notwithstanding'  all  that  has 
been  said,  this  lawful  and  holy  reverencing  of  the  pictures  may  be  turned 
into  the  most  abominable  sin  of  idolatry.  This  is  the  case  when  any  one 
hopes  in,  or  attaches  all  his  respect  to  the  holy  pictures,  and  trusts  in 
their  material  substance;  when,  for  instance,  any  one  finds  greater  sanc- 
tity in  one  picture  than  in  another,  or  places  in  them  any  hope  of  salva- 
tion. They,  too,  are  chargeable  with  this  guilt,  who  bring  their  own  par- 
ticular picture  into  the  church  along  with  them,  and  only  worship  before 

27 


314 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


It  must  be  admitted,  too,  that  he  speaks  of  the  Reforma- 
tion under  Luther  and  Calvin,  and  of  the  Reformers,  in 
a manner  which  evinces  some  degree  of  prejudice  in 
his  own  mind,  and  is  fitted  to  awaken  it  in  others. 

Following  in  the  steps  of  Platon,  so  far  as  he  fol- 
lowed Christ,  what  great  truth  of  Christianity  may  we 
not  inculcate?  What  scope  have  we,  what  an  array  of 
truth,  what  an  amount  of  influence,  at  our  command;  and 
that,  too,  with  the  implied  consent  of  the  Greek  church. 
The  treatise  of  Platon  is  not  to  be  understood,  however, 
as  an  illustration  of  the  popular  tenets  of  the  Greek 
people,  of  doctrines  actually  understood  by  them  as  the 
basis  of  their  religion;  but  as  an  exposition  of  articles 
of  faith,  believed  by  the  enlightened  author  to  be  con- 
tained in  the  Scriptures,  regarded  by  enlightened  Greeks 
as  in  accordance  with  the  symbols  of  their  church,  and 
by  them  recommended  for  the  instruction  of  the  ignor- 
ant. As  a means  of  benefitting  the  clergy,  and  elevat- 
ing the  standard  of  Christian  morals,  it  is  a delightful 
object  of  contemplation,  even  with  all  its  defects. 

MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 

In  the  early  part  of  1829,  there  were  four  mission- 
aries in  the  Ionian  Islands — the  Rev.  Isaac  Lowndes, 
of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  the  Rev.  Frederick 
A.  Hildner,  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  and  the 
Rev.  Walter  Croggon,  and  Dr.  Frederick  Rialloblotz- 
ky,  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Society.  In  the  course 
of  the  year,  Mr.  Hildner  removed  to  the  island  of  Syra, 
in  the  Archipelago,  and  Dr.  Bialloblotzky  to  Alex^ 
andria,  in  Egypt.  Mr.  Lowndes  transferred  his  resi- 
dence from  Malta  to  Zante  in  1819,  and  from  thence  to 
Corfu  in  1822,  where  he  now  is.  Believing  the  Con- 

H,  or  who  respect  those  pictures  more  which  are  adorned  than  the  un- 
adorned, the  old  more  than  the  new,  or  decline  praying  at  all  when  they 
have  not  a picture  before  them.  All  these,  and  such  like,  are  great 
transgressors,  and  prove  a great  disgrace  to  the  real  profession  of  the 
Christian  faith.’7 — p.  186. 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


31  5 

stitution  of  the  Islands  not  to  forbid  his  preaching  in  his 
own  house, p he  has  a service  in  Greek  once  a fort- 
night, which  is  attended  by  about  a dozen  Greeks. 
During  four  years  he  has  had  a Sabhath-school  of 
about  forty  Greek  boys,  under  the  immediate  instruc- 
tion of  a Greek  priest.  Mr.  Lowndes  occasionally 
visits  different  parts  of  the  island,  and  has  rendered  a 
most  important  service  to  the  people,  by  circulating  the 
Scriptures.  In  this  he  has  encountered  no  opposition. 
Mention  has  already  been  made  of  his  agency  in  the 
publication  of  the  Albanian  and  Hebrew-Spanish  New 
Testament,  and  of  his  present  agency  in  preparing  a 
version  of  the  Old  Testament  for  publication  in  the 
modern  Greek  language.*1 

Mr.  Hildner  was  making  only  ^temporary  residence 
in  the  Ionian  Islands,  and  Dr.  Bialloblotzky  had  but 
recently  arrived. 


(p)  Seep.  181. 

(q)  See  p.  182. — Respecting  this  version  I find  the  following  notice  in 
the  last  Report  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  It  is  an  ex- 
tract of  a letter  from  Mr.  Leeves,  dated  April  1,  1830. 

u I am  happy  to  say  that  the  Greek  version  is  steadily  proceeding. 
Every  day  Mr.  Lowndes  and  myself  meet  to  compare  the  copy  sent  us 
by  the  translators  with  the  Hebrew  text,  and  twice  a week  we  have  our 
general  meetings  for  revision.  Oftener  than  this  the  occupations  of  our 
fellow-laborers  will  not  allow  them  to  attend.  According  to  the  wish  ex- 
pressed by  the  Committee,  we  are  now  employed  upon  the  Psalms.  Pro- 
fessor Typaldos,  to  whom  we  have  intrusted  this  part  of  the  work,  has 
already  translated  above  90  of  the  150;  and  we  were  yesterday  occupied 
in  the  revision  of  the  37th.  When  he  has  finished  the  book  of  Psalms,  he 
will  return  to  the  book  of  Genesis,  which  he  quilted  in  order  to  under- 
take the  former.  The  first  chapters  of  this  book  are  also  revised.  Mr. 
Joannides  has  translated  the  books  of  Numbers.  Deuteronomy,  and 
Joshua,  and  the  revision  of  the  book  of  Numbers  is  completed.  The  state 
of  Professor  Bambas’s  health  has  unfortunately  obliged  him  to  cease 
from  his  valuable  aid  for  the  present,  but  I am  happy  to  say  he  is  fast 
recovering  his  strength;  and,  after  the  commencement  of  the  academical 
vacation,  that  is,  about  the  end  of  June,  he  will,  I trust,  be  able  to  give 
a considerable  portion  of  his  time  to  our  important  work.  In  the  mean 
time  his  illness  has  not  occasioned  any  delay,  as  we  go  forward  with  the 
aid  of  the  two  other  coadjutors.  The  book  of  Psalms,  as  you  may  con- 
ceive, gives  us  no  small  labor;  but  Professor  Typaldos  executes  his  trans- 
lation greatly  to  my  satisfaction;  and  I venture  to  hope,  that  it  will  prove 
a work  not  unworthy  of  the  labor  we  are  bestowing  upon  it.” 

Mr.  Lowndes  has  published  a dictionary  of  English  and  modern  Greek 
words,  with  a brief  grammar  of  the  modern  Greek  language  prefixed 
to  it. 


316 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


Mr.  Croggon  we  did  not  see,  he  being  then  in  Egypt, 
on  a special  agency  for  his  society.  Two  years  had 
elapsed  since  he  commenced  his  mission  in  Zante.  The 
government  has  since  invited  him  to  act  as  professor  of 
English  in  the  classical  school  of  Zante.  Mrs.  C.  in- 
formed us,  that  her  husband  had  given  private  instruc- 
tion to  a number  of  Greek  youths,  and  that  one  of  them, 
a refugee  from  the  opposite  coast  of  the  Peloponnesus, 
having  lately  returned  to  the  place  of  his  nativity,  had 
commenced  a school  of  five  or  six  boys.  Mr.  Crog- 
gon also  induced  a Greek  priest  to  open  a Sabbath- 
school,  with  the  expectation  of  receiving  a compensa- 
tion. The  priest  commenced  such  a school  in  his  own 
dwelling.  The  first  Sabbath  he  had  fifteen  pupils,  the 
second  he  had  twenty,  and  so  on,  till  the  room  was 
filled.  The  priest  belonged  to  the  class  of  itinerant 
preachers,  and  he  cheerfully  explained  the  Scriptures 
to  the  children.  We  regretted  to  learn,  that  this  man, 
in  consequence  of  some  misunderstanding  after  Mr. 
Croggon’s  departure,  had  relinquished  his  interesting 
charge. 

A missionary  to  the  Ionian  Islands  should  carefully 
observe  all  the  points  of  etiquette,  of  which  military 
men  are  commonly  tenacious,  and  his  conduct  should 
not  only  be  susceptible  of  explanation,  but  should,  if 
possible,  be  such  as  never  to  stand  in  need  of  it,  as 
opportunities  for  making  explanations  may  not  always 
be  found.  Nor  should  he  fall  into  the  mistake  of  sup- 
posing, that  Protestant  governors,  sustaining  the  delicate 
relations  which  the  English  rulers  of  those  islands  do 
to  a superstitious  and  jealous  people,  will  afford  him 
the  full  toleration,  which,  from  his  acquaintance  with 
Protestant  countries  only,  he  would  be  led  to  expect. 

The  missionaries  resident  in  liberated  Greece , were 
the  Rev.  Jonas  King,  then  supported  by  the  Ladies 
Greek  Committee  of  New  York  city,  but  now  con- 
nected with  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
and  the  Rev.  C.  L.  Korck,  of  the  Church  Missionary 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


317 


Society.  Nothing  need  be  added  to  what  has  been 
said,  respecting  the  labors  and  influence  of  these  mis- 
sionaries. They  have  had  much  experience,  and  have 
profited  by  it;  and  their  views,  as  to  the  measures  which 
Protestants  should  pursue  for  the  intellectual  and  moral 
benefit  of  Greece,  seemed  to  me  to  be  truly  discreet 
and  proper.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Hartley,  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  had  travelled  considerably  in 
Greece,  had  repeatedly  preached  in  the  churches,  and 
had  conversed  with  many  of  the  people,  in  different 
parts  of  the  country,  on  subjects  connected  with  spirit- 
ual religion.  We  heard  the  Greeks  speak  of  him  with 
respect;  but  we  had  not  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him,  as 
he  had  left  Greece  when  we  entered  it,  and  sailed  from 
Smyrna  for  England  just  before  we  went  to  that  city. 

Quite  recently,  our  companion,  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Rob- 
ertson, of  the  American  Episcopal  Missionary  Society, 
has  returned  to  Greece,  with  his  family,  having  devoted 
the  remainder  of  his  life  to  the  service  of  the  Greek 
people.  He  is  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Hill, 
and  wife,  and  by  a printer.  /U*.  /Zh**-r*** 

MEASURES  TO  BE  PURSUED  BY  PROTESTANTS  FOR 
THE  BENEFIT  OF  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES. 

A broad  distinction  should  be  made  between  the 
Papal  and  Oriental  churches.  The  former  has  exalted 
the  pope  to  be  the  infallible  and  universal  head  of  the 
church,  forbidden  the  Scriptures  to  the  great  body  of 
the  people,  taken  away  the  right  of  private  judgment 
on  matters  of  everlasting  importance  to  the  soul,  and 
aimed  to  pervert,  and  thus  in  effect  to"  destroy,  the 
power  of  conscience.  It  claims  a divine  right  to  im- 
pose its  dogmas  on  the  minds  of  all  men,  and  to  confis- 
cate the  goods  and  destroy  the  lives  of  all,  who  refuse 
to  acknowledge  its  authority.  These  assumed  rights  it 
has  violently  enforced  when  it  has  had  the  power  to 
enforce  them,  and  it  still  asserts  them  with  unyielding 
*27 


318 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


pertinacity.1'  This  is  nothing  short  of  treason  against 
the  King  of  Zion,  and  it  is  a most  tyrannical  usurpation 
in  respect  to  all  his  subjects  on  earth. 

The  state  of  the  case  is  very  different,  in  relation  to 
the  proper  oriental  churches — the  Greek,  Armenian, 
Syrian,  Coptic,  and  Abyssinian.  In  many  points  these 
churches  have,  indeed,  departed  far  from  the  simplicity 
and  purity  of  the  Gospel.  They  have  yielded  too  much 
to  traditions,  and  the  fathers,  and  councils.  But  they 
have  no  pope,  “exalting  himself  above  all  that  is  called 
God” — “sitting  in  the  temple  of  God,  shewing  himself 
that  he  is  God.”  If  they  do  not  go  the  full  length  of 
admitting  the  Protestant  maxim,  that  ‘the  Scriptures 
are  the  sufficient  and  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice,’ 
they  yet  acknowledge  their  authority,  and  allow  the 
people  to  read  them,  and  to  exercise  their  own  judg- 
ments with  regard  to  their  import.  They  assert  no 
extravagant  and  oppressive  claims  upon  other  portions 
of  Christ’s  visible  kingdom.  They  do  not  profess  to 
regard  the  members  of  other  churches  as  of  course 
heretics  and  outlaws,  nor  do  they  meet  you  on  the 
threshold  with  the  threat  of  excommunication  and 
endless  wrath,  unless  you  subscribe,  without  inquiry  or 
reservation,  to  whatever  they  may  please  to  dictate. s 

We  ought  not,  therefore,  without  reflection,  to  extend 
the  unfavorable  conclusions  we  have  been  compelled  to 
draw  concerning  the  Romish  church,  to  any  of  the  ori- 
ental churches.  The  points  of  difference  between  the 
eastern  and  Latin  churches,  are  of  greater  consequence, 
than  their  points  of  agreement.  Comparing  the  rela- 
tions, which  these  two  nominal  divisions  of  the  visible 
church  stand  in  to  God  and  to  ourselves,  we  see  a marked 
distinction.  We  see,  too,  that  principles,  and  conclu- 
sions, and  rules  of  action,  which  are  applicable  to  the 

(r)  See  Quarterly  Register  of  the  American  Education  Society  for 
November,  1830,  pp.  88,  89. 

(s)  I acknowledge,  however,  that  this  is  to  be  understood  with  some 
reserve.  The  councils,  which  inculcated  image-worship,  and  the  doc- 
trine of  transubstantiation,  possessed  something  of  the  spirit  manifested 
by  the  church  of  Rome. 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


319 


Romish  church,  may  not  be  so  to  the  Greeks,  or  Ar- 
menians.— Indeed,  taking  into  view  the  doctrinal  ad- 
missions of  the  oriental  churches,  or  at  least  of  the 
Greeks,  it  seems  to  me,  that,  great  as  is  the  difference 
between  their  system  of  faith  and  that  of  Protestant 
churches,  the  points  of  resemblance  are  yet  of  higher 
consequence. 

These  general  remarks  I thought  due  to  the  oriental 
churches,  and  1 originally  intended  to  illustrate  their 
application  to  the  measures,  which  Protestants  should 
employ  for  the  benefit  of  their  brethren  in  the  east;  but 
I find  the  subject  involved  in  too  many  difficulties,  to 
be  satisfactorily  discussed  in  this  stage  of  our  experi- 
ence. I shall,  therefore,  content  myself  with  a few 
brief  observations  upon  the  principal  means,  which  are 
to  be  employed. 

1.  The  preaching,  under  existing  circumstances, 
will  generally  be  of  that  kind,  which  is  called  conver- 
sational. By  this  I mean  something  less  public  and 
formal, than  what  is  usually  denominated  preaching  among 
ourselves,  and  yet,  perhaps,  not  far  removed  from  the 
common  manner  of  preaching  at  the  first  promulgation 
of  the  gospel; — a familiar  exposition  of  the  Scriptures, 
or  a religious  conversation,  in  the  house,  by  the  way,  on 
mountains,  in  valleys  and  fields,  in  social  circles,  wher- 
ever there  are  ears  willing  to  hear.  And  the  grand 
topics  of  discourse  should  be  those,  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  wont  to  bless  to  the  regeneration  of  men’s 
hearts.  So  far  as  experience  has  proved  anything  in 
the  east,  it  has  shewn  that  this  kind  of  preaching  is  the 
most  effectual,  which  missionaries  can  there  use  to  lead 
the  people  into  an  acquaintance  with  the  gospel.  And 
it  is  obvious,  that  our  Saviour’s  command  to  publish 
the  gospel  everywhere,  does  not  enjoin  one  precise 
and  invariable  manner  of  doing  this.  He  leaves  us  at 
liberty  to  exercise  our  discretion,  under  the  guidance 
of  the  wisdom  he  may  please  to  impart.  We  may  se- 
lect the  particular  medium,  through  which  to  convey 
the  momentous  truths  of  his  word — whether  the  school, 


320 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


or  the  press,  or  conversation,  or  public  addresses,  or 
all  of  them  together.  These  we  may  render  so  many 
ways  of  publishing  the  gospel;  and  his  command  makes 
it  our  duty  to  employ  them  so  far,  and  only  so  far,  as 
they  are  applicable  to  the  particular  case,  and  are 
within  our  power.1 

2.  The  decline  of  the  eastern  churches  is  to  be 
referred  very  much  to  the  want,  or  the  neglect  of  the 
holy  scriptures.  The  distribution  of  these  blessed 
writings,  until  the  sacred  light  shines  in  every  part  of 
the  east,  is  a most  appropriate  work  for  Protestants. 
It  is  a duty  binding  upon  them  with  a most  solemn 
obligation. 

3.  The  fact  is,  however,  that  a great  preliminary 
work  is  necessary,  in  order  to  introduce  the  people  of 
the  east  to  an  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures.  The 
majority  of  them  are  unable  to  read,  and  multitudes  of 
those,  who  have  acquired  that  ability,  have  acquired  it 
under  so  wretched  a system  of  instruction,  that  their 
common  reading  is  little  better  than  a mechanical  oper- 
ation. They  read  without  reflection,  and  of  course 
without  profit.  The  reason  of  this  has  already  been 
explained.  Now  such  a habit  of  reading  must  be 
broken  up — by  changing  the  plan  of  instruction,  by 
changing  the  books,  by  making  the  lessons  intelligible, 
and  seeing  that  they  are  understood.  In  respect  to  this 
evil  a reform  has  already  commenced  in  the  east,  and 
the  friends  of  intellectual  and  moral  improvement  should 
give  it  accelerated  speed.  Here  is  room  for  achieve- 


(t)  The  views  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  as  expressed  last 
year  in  Instructions  to  the  Rev.  William  Jowett,  of  Malta,  are  consenta- 
neous with  those  given  above,  as  to  the  kind  of  preaching  which  is  now 
required  of  missionaries  to  the  oriental  churches. — “There  is  one  means 
of  propagating  Christian  knowledge,  specially  appointed  of  Gpd,  and  on 
which,  in  proportion  as  it  shall  be  employed  with  wisdom  ancfin  faith,  a 
peculiar  blessing  may  be  expected — the  preaching  of  the  cross. 
Preaching,  however,  under  present  circumstances,  must,  probably  in 
most  cases,  be  almost  confined  to  what  may  be  denominated  ‘conver- 
sational preaching/  in  which  the  missionaries,  whithersoever  they 
go,  speak  to  all  men,  as  proper  opportunities  offer,  as  being  ambassadors 
of  Christ  and  ministers  of  reconciliation.” 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


321 


ments  on  a great  scale,  and  for  grand  results  on  the 
human  mind  and  character;  and  here  is  a call  for  the 
use  of  the  press  to  an  almost  indefinite  extent. 

Different  opinions  are  entertained  on  the  question, 
whether  the  oriental  churches  can  be  purified,  as 
churches,  from  their  doctrinal  and  practical  errors. 
The  question  cannot  probably  be  decided  without  ex- 
periment: and  whether  it  be  worth  while  to  make  such 
an  experiment,  must  be  determined  by  considering  the 
points  of  difference  between  those  churches  and  that  of 
Rome,  and  how  far  the  oriental  churches  may  be  con- 
sidered as  “holding  the  Head;”  in  short,  whether  there 
are  vital  principles  enough  remaining,  through  which  to 
operate  upon  the  diseased  and  torpid  system.  I have 
aimed,  in  this  volume,  to  show  how  far  such  principles 
exist,  and  what  are  the  adverse  influences  which  must 
be  overcome.  And  now  I may  close  my  work,  by  sug- 
gesting an  obvious,  but  most  momentous  truth,  that  no 
array  of  means  will  be  of  much  avail,  unblest  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  The  minister  of  Christ  will  now  find,  as 
the  apostle  to  the  gentiles  anciently  did  in  the  same 
countries,  that  learning,  and  eloquence,  and  even  the 
truth  of  God,  are  nothing,  without  the  agency  of  the 
divine  Spirit.  Paul  might  plant  again,  and  Apollos 
water,  in  vain,  unless  God  g^ve  the  increase.  Let 
the  subject  commend  itself,  therefore,  to  the  piety  of 
our  western  churches,  and  often  let  the  earnest  petition 
be  offered,  that  God  would  visit  the  degenerate  churches 
of  the  east,  and  “build  up  the  old  waste  places,”  and 
“raise  up  the  foundations  of  many  generations.” 


/ 


APPENDIX 


MODERN  NAMES  OF  PLACES. 

As  most  of  the  ancient  Greek  names  passed  into  the  English 
language  through  the  Latin,  they  suffered  alterations  in  their  or- 
thography, which  they  would  not  have  suffered,  had  they  been 
taken  directly  from  the  Greek.  The  terminations  os  and  on  are 
changed  into  us  and  um,  because  Latin  grammar  required  it;  and 
ou  and  ei  have  been  changed  into  u,  e,  or  i,  because  the  Latin 
had  no  diphthongs  of  this  kind.  But  for  the  English  language, 
such  changes  are  not  necessary,  “fince  we  have  no  cases,  and  ou 
and  ei  often  have  precisely  the  same  sounds,  in  English,  as  in 
Greek.  The  Latin  orthography  of  most  ancient  proper  names, 
is  probably  too  firmly  fixed  by  usage  to  be  altered:  but  shall  we, 
therefore,  for  the  sake  of  uniformity,  go  on  to  Latinize  modern 
Greek  names?  The  universal  sentiment  will  doubtless  be  in  the 
negative;  for  Greece  has  now  become  a nation,  and  is  so  situated, 
and  possesses  such  a character,  that  we  shall  probably  have  occa- 
sion to  transfer  innumerably  more  of  her  names  into  English,  than 
are  in  common  use  among  those  we  have  received  through  the 
Latin. — Shall  we,  then,  conform  their  orthography  entirely  to  the 
sounds  of  our  own  letters?  To  this  there  are  objections.  For 
example,  to  express  Q invariably  by  v would  look  barbarous. 

In  modern  names,  the  Greek  orthography  has  been  followed  in 
this  volume,  with  only  two  or  three  slight  variations.  In  ancient 
names,  the  orthography  has  generally  been  conformed  to  the 
Latin  usage. 

For  the  gratification  of  readers  who  are  conversant  with  the 
Greek  alphabet,  a vocabulary  of  the  more  common  Greek  names 
will  be  given,  in  which  the  orthography  and  accentuation 
are  adapted  to  the  most  common  usage  in  the  Greek  govern- 
ment Gazette.  And  the  reader,  who  is  unacquainted  with  the 
Greek  characters,  will  be  able  readily  to  perceive  which  syllable 
of  the  corresponding  English  word  is  to  be  accented,  by  observing 
which  syllable  in  the  Greek  name  has  an  accent  over  it. 

In  the  modern  Greek  tongue,  a is  sounded  like  a in  far  and 
fat;  i like  a in  mate  and  e in  met;  » like  e in  glebe  and  i in 
glib ; i like  i in  marine  and  pin;  o and  » like  o in  note  and  not ; 
v like  e in  glebe  and  y in  syntax;  ou  like  ou  in  you  and  could ; at 
like  ai  in  mail  and  said;  a,  oi  ui  like  i,  or  u — that  is,  these 
vowels  and  diphthongs  have  precisely  the  same  sound.  So 
that  in  Greek,  there  are  but  five  long,  and  five  corresponding 
short  vowel  sounds.  For  in  the  remaining  diphthongs,  (so  call- 


324 


MODERN  NAMEfS  OF  PLACES. 


ed)  the  v is  a consonant,  pronounced  like  v,  except  before  the 
sharp  consonants,  where  it  is  pronounced  like  /. 

Of  the  consonants,  only  a few  need  any  remarks  for  the  com- 
mon English  reader: — C is  invariably  sounded  like  v;  y more  like 
hard  g , than  any  other  English  sound;  cT  like  flat  th  in  all  cases; 
6 like  sharp  th;  % like  the  German  ch , of  which  hard  ch  is  the 
best  English  representation;  4 like  ps,  both  letters  being  always 
sounded.  There  is  no  difference  between  the  rough  and  the 
smooth  breathing;  that  is,  neither  is  pronounced. 

An  intelligent  and  educated  Greek  has  remarked  in  reference 
tb  the  sounds  of  the  vowels  above  given,  that  the  Greek  lan- 
guage hardly  knows  the  distinction  of  long  and  short  vowel 
sounds,  and  that  in  the  examples  above,  the  short  sounds  are  the 
most  correct.  He  says,  also,  that  before  the  sound  of  « and  x,  in 
the  beginning  of  a word,  y would  represent  y better  than  the 
hard  g. 

n (\o7r6w>i<roe 
Mfic/isat? 

Hx/? 

Tcta-rovvn 
TIupyoe 
KKctptvra-A 

XXCV  JUOVTiTl 

Kut  <XKU)X0V 

KxuJ'i 


Peloponnesus 

Morea 

Elis 

Gastoune 

Pyrgos 

Clarentsa 

Chloumoutsi 

Catacolon 

Cleidi 


Dibris 

Lala 

’Ayoxiviro-ct,  Tov\tvir<ra.  Agoulenitsa 


A iCpn 
AaXa. 

’AyouXivtrrx, 

’Ax*U 

Tlctrpxj 

Bocrrircrtt 
KitkaCpurA 
Miy&~oyrnKeuov 
B oJ'ias 

Apt7TdLV0V 

Kipnivn 

Ktpvinn 

'SouS'tvd 

TlctXctfo  - ^ Ayeti a. 

’Apyoxis 

"Apycs 


Achaia 

Patras 

Bostitsa 

Calabryta 

Megaspelseon 

Bodias 

Drepanum 

Kerpine 

Rachoba 

Kern  ike 

Soudena 

Pal  geo-  Achaia 

Argolis 

Argos 


MODERN  NAMES  OF  PLACES 


325 


Kop/vdo f 

Nctuftkiov*  N ctv7r\i* 
Kara  - N d^&yie; 
BouriAtH.ov 

Kiyxfux,  Ks yxptxi 

Ka\:tjucMt 

3 AKpox,optvQoe 

AcLy.cL\d 

£E  py.ton 

KpavtS't 

AiJ'vju.oi 

3E7riS'ctvpos 

Tpoifyv 

A 7ret&uct 

Midxvst 

Aiyovpiov 

Muxoi  (A ipvct,  A tpn) 

UctXdy.yiS't 
3,A<rrpos 
A^XstcT  on*.y.7rov 
T plKOLXct 
IT/acT  cl 

"A yio;  BcitrtXtioe 
" Ay to;  Tedpytos 

3 Apical  to. 

Tpt7ro\ircrd 

qxvapi 

Ketpurctivct,  K ctpurtvct 

"A yios  Utrpos 

A sovrapt 

KctrcraVH 

AlCaprcrt 

IlcipBtvtov  opos 

Aso/sT/ 

Aapct 

AvS' piTT’ cLvcty  ’ AvtT pha-cuvcL 


Corinth 

Nauplion 

Cato-Nachagies 

Basilicon 

Cenchrea 

Calamaki 

Acrocorinthus 

Damala 

Hermione 

Cranidi 

Didymi 

Epidaurus 

Troezen 

Apatheia 

Methana 

Ligoarion 

Myli 

Palamedi 

Astros 

Achladocampon 

Tricala 

Piada 

St.  Basil 

St-  George 

Arcadia, 

Tripolitsa 

Phanari 

Charystaena 

St.  Peter 

Leontari 

Catsane 

Libartsi 

Mount  Parthenion 

Lebidi 

Dara 

Andritsana 


Almost  invariably  written  thus. 

28 


326 


MODERN  NAMES  OF  PLACES, 


KftywxS'  ia 

An/tAH'rtraVA 

AipCtVtA 

Zupiet 

Z AyovpA 

I'ri/AvirtrA 

,rAva)~MiTO-nviA 
TSSiox.AtrrpoV)  N aCxpivot 
M oQZvn 
KopJjvn 

1 AytA  KvptAKV, 

Ms <ro%wpt 

Kdra-MitrawiA 
N »eri 

KAXAjuarA 
’Avef  pour  a 

’I fATrXaJUAy  ,J.fA,7F XttKtKA 

Mav« 

MmpojudvH 

9 A p/uvpos 

YLrrpuAi 

T'&'i/j.gCa 

KaxaCcuXia 

KaQcf'AjucuXA 

A AKtoVlA 

Mitrrpue 

M0Vi/U@A<TlA 

HpA<rroe 
Me tpA§u>vn<ri 
A iaviS' t 
C'E  xog 

'TcrAH.w'lA 

Alyiov  TLiXAyo? 
ytjropctS'  eg 
A lytvA 
TIopoc 
f’T «J>* 


Langadia 

Demetsana 

Derbenia 

Zyria 

Zagoura 

Stemnitsa 

Upper  Messenia 

Neocostron,  Navarino 

Mothone 

Cor  one 

Agia  Kyriake 

Mesochori 

Lower  Messenia 
Nesi 

Calamata 

Androusa 

Implakia 

Mane 

Micromane 

Armyros 

Kitryse 

Tsimoba 

Cacaboulia 

Cardamoula 

Laconia 

Mistras 

Monembasia 

Prastos 

Marathonesi 

Leonidi 

Helos 

Tsaconia 

./Eg.ean  Sea 

Sporades 

iEgina 

Poros 

Hydra 


MODERN  NAMES  OF  PLACES.  327 


S^TJrat/,  nerrxi 

Spetsse 

SctActyU,  EAKcLy.lv 

Salamis 

Ex.la.Qos 

Sciathos 

Exotrexos 

Scopelos 

2 Kupos 

Scyros 

‘HKioSpoyia, 

Heliodromia 

'Ya.ppd 

Psarra 

Idyo  s 

Samos 

Yidxvyvos 

Calymnos 

As  pos 

Leros 

Udryo s 

Patmos 

Ixapla. 

Icaria 

KuxxdS'is 

Cyclades 

'SvpA 

Syra 

lipiqoi 

Seriphos 

Qipyict 

Thermia 

T<rS5t,  Ksat 

Tsea 

3'AvtT/)0f 

Andros 

T nvos 

Tenos 

Mvxoovos 

Myconos 

AM.O? 

Delos 

Na|o? 

Naxos 

ndpos 

Paros 

*Avr  iTrctpos 

Antiparos 

"Io? 

Ios 

XlXtVOSy  Xdxtvos 

Sicinos,  Sycinos 

Uoxuxx.vJ'poe 

Polycandros 

M«ao? 

Melos 

Kt^axo?,  K lynKos 

Cimolos 

Xlqvos 

Siphnos 

IctvropwHy  Eavropivu 

Santorene 

’A  va<pn 

Anaphe 

A <r<ru7rdx*t&, 5 A rruffAX*.  let 

Astypalsea 

KaVo?,  KcWo? 

Casos 

Kap^-atSoff 

Carpathos 

Xlos 

Chios  (Scio) 

TL''vQoi& 

Euboea 

Kp«T« 

Crete 

328  ANCIENT  NAMES  OF  PLACES. 

Ancient  Names,  supposed  not  to  be  now  in  use  among  the 
Greeks.  Most  of  them  occur  in  this  volume. 


In  Elis. 


’AX<pit6; 

Alpheus 

Haveios 

Peneus 

’Oxuju7rici 

Olympia 

Exadios 

Cladeus 

In  Achaia. 

Aujuh 

Dyme 

AdptTOs 

Larisus 

Hsipoc 

Pirus  (Comenitsa) 

<bo7vrg 

Phoenix 

K pike 

C rath  is  (Crata) 

Aiyai 

iEy© 

A iyupx 

iEgira 

TLexxitvn 

Pellene  (Xylocastron) 

n 6iphn 

Kxeaveu 

N 6/uict 

’Ao-ottos 

2^otvovc 

Kpo/uvwV 

}Apz%yctiov  Spoc 

T Ipvvs 

MvkHvou 

3'lvct%0s 

’Epcta-lvos 

’Epv/uatvQoe 
Ads’  m 

*Apn(jii<riov  3'cpoc 
Mttvriwa. 
2ru/uiQct\os 
T iyat 

’A  XHriov3'opoe 


In  Argolis. 

Pirene 

Cleon© 

Nemea 

Asopus 

Schoenus 

Cromyon 

Mt.  Arachnaeum 

Tiryns 

Mycen© 

Inachus 

Erasinus 

In  Arcadia. 

Erymanthus  (Dogana) 
Ladon  (Roufeas) 

Mt.  Artemesius  (Maleuon) 

Mantinea 

Stymphalus 

Tegea 

Mt.  Alesius 


ANCIENT  NAMES  OF  PLACES 


329 


0<p/f 

Ophis 

’Opxoy.wfc 

Orchomenus  (Calpaki) 

Qeveoc 

Pheneus 

K okpvctt 

Caphyze 

Ifaxpis 

Psophis  (Tripotamos) 

cHpx'ict 

Hersea 

Toprvs 

Gortys 

Topruvtos 

Gortynius 

M zy£Ko7ro\i$ 

Megalopolis  (Sinano) 

Auhaiov  3'opos 

Mt.  Lyczeus  (Tetratsi) 

Avjua^ 

Lymax 

Nafc* 

Neda 

QiyAk'iA 

Phigalia  (Paulitsa) 

A VKorovpA 

Lycosura 

3A  yxio-ict 

Anchisia 

M&ivctxos 

Maenalus 

In  Upper  Messmia. 

Kv7rapt<r<ri* 

Cyparissus  (Arakdia) 

II  vko; 

Pylos 

2<q>AKrnpiai 

Sphacteria 
In  Lower  Messenia. 

TIstfAKroC)  Tldjuiros 

Pamisus 

2revu>c\npiK0v  Tlthiov 

Stenyclericus  campus 

Av  S' AVI  A 

Andania 

TcLV,y?<Tov:,,opos 

Mt.  Taygctus 

Eupdrue 

Eurotas 

27rapTH 

Sparta 

’A  fAVUXAt 

Amy  else 

TuQuov 

Gytheum 

In  Continental  Greece. 

’'Hfrupo? 

Epirus 

KepAvvtct^op}! 

Mt.  Ceraunia 

TlivS os 

Pindus 

’AxApVAv'lA 

Acarnania 

AxCavia 

Albania 

SouM 

Souli 

28* 


330  BEARINGS  OF  REMARKABLE  PLACES  AND  OBJECTS. 


’A  fiCpctxict 

Ambracia 

Po  VfXiXW 

Roumele 

Hetvvraxros 

Naupactus 

■*A  flitvatl 

Athens 

‘T/uaTTo? 

Hymettus 

Tspetviet 

Gerania 

Exix.lv 

Helicon 

KpaCetpt 

Crabari 

Uapva<r<r6c 

Parnassus 

Tlapvnc 

Parnes 

KtScuplv 

Cithaeron 

M tyapa 

Megara 

2aXovct 

Salon  a 

Qipy.07ruKcu 

Thermopylae 

Mttrokoyyt 

Mesolongi 

Up'iCi^ct 

Prebeza 

> Apr  a 

Arta 

31  I ctavvivct 

Ioannina 

E xevcris 

Eleusis 

’letXavrt 

Talanti 

bearings  of  remarkable  places  and  objects. 

These  bearings  were  taken  by  Mr.  Smith  with  great  care  and 
accuracy.  No  allowance  is  made  for  the  variation  of  the  compass, 
which  is  about  one  point  and  a half  westerly.  The  same  is  true 
of  the  bearings  given  at  pp.  40,  50,  51,  57,  58,  72,  which  are  not 
included  in  this  list. 


Point  of  Observation.  Place  Observed.  Bearing. 

Mycenae,  Mount  Cyllene,  N.  45  W. 

Tiryns,  S.  5 E. 

Acropolis  of  Argos,  S.  33  W. 

Acropolis  of  Argos,  Palamidi,  S.  30  E. 

Tiryns,  S.  48  E. 

Mount  Arachnaeum,  S.  80  E. 

Mycenae,  N.  35  E. 

Cyllene,  N.  28  W. 

Astros  promontory,  South. 

Lerna,  S.  15  W. 

Tiryns,  Castle  of  Argos,  N.  48  W. 


AGRICULTURAL  FARM  ON  THE  PLAIN  OF  ARGOS.  331 


Lerna, 

S.  70  W. 

Palamidi, 

S.  10  w. 

Tripotamos, 

Mount  Olonos, 

N.  30  W. 

Lala, 

do. 

N.  28  E. 

Paloumpa, 

S.  extremity  of  Zante, 

N.  75  W. 

Near  Langadia, 

Mount  Olonos, 

N.  10  W. 

Mount  Chelmos, 
Mount  Taygetus, 

N.  40  E. 

Demetsana, 

S.10E. 

Caryt®na, 

S.  10  W. 

Carytaena, 

Sinano  (Megalopolis,) 

S.  30  E. 

Mount  Taygetus, 

S.  15  E. 

Andritsana, 

Temple  of  Apollo,  at 
Bass®, 

Paloumpa, 

N.  28  E. 

Mount  Ithome, 

S.  5 W. 

Mount  Tetratsi, 

N.  78  E. 

Navarino, 

Pal®o-Castron, 

N.  10W. 

Mount  St.  Nicholas, 

S.  10  w. 

Calamata, 

Mount  Licodema, 

S.  75  W. 

Leontari, 

Mount  Ellenitsa, 

S.  44  W. 

Mount  Tetratsi, 

N.  60  W. 

Demetsana, 

Megalopolis, 

N.  5 W. 

N.  10  E. 

Mount  Tsimborou, 

N.  87  E. 

Castle  of  Mistras, 

Mount  Paximadi, 

S.  60  W. 

Mount  Tsimborou, 

N.  5 W. 

Sclabo-Chori. 

S.  40  E. 

Sparta, 

East. 

Sparta, 

Mount  Elias, 

S.  40  W. 

Aito,in  Ithaca, 

Direction  of  Port  Molo, 

N.40E. 

Bay  of  Samos, 

S.  35  W. 

Black  Mountain  in  Cefalonia, 

S.  20  W 

Mount  Stephanos,  Ithaca, 

S.  50  W 

Mount  Neritos, 

N.  10  E. 

AGRICULTURAL  FARM  ON  THE  PLAIN  OF  ARGOS. 

It  is  stated  in  a recent  French  periodical,  that  Gregory  Palseo- 
logus,  one  of  the  young  Greeks  who  has  pursued  a course  of  agri- 
cultural studies  at  the  institution  of  Roville,  in  France,  having 
perfected  them  on  a large  agricultural  establishment  in  Corsica, 
has  returned  to  his  own  country,  with  a considerable  provision  of 
instruments,  seeds,  etc.  supplied  by  the  committee  at  Paris.  The 
President  has  placed  at  his  disposal  one  of  the  national  domains  on 
the  plain  of  Argos,  for  the  purpose  of  a model  farm.  “His  first 
care  will  be  the  sowing  of  the  grain  brought  with  him,  the  creation 
of  a nursery,  and  the  tillage  of  the  ground  by  instruments  un- 
known in  that  country.  Prospects  of  extensive  benefit  attach 
themselves  to  the  institution  of  Palasologus.  It  must  become  a 
focus  of  light,  which  will  distribute  throughout  Greece  the  knowl- 


332 


GREEK  NEWSPAPERS ITINERARY. 


edge  requisite  to  the  successful  cultivation  of  a soil  so  long  water- 
ed with  human  blood.  Bi ' must  still  elapse  before 


Greece,  has  not  finished  its  work.  Enriched  by  the  arts  of  peace, 
is  it  not  our  duty  to  devote  a portion  of  what  they  have  furnished 
us  to  enable  our  brethren  of  the  east  4o  enjoy  their  benefits?” — 
Rev.  Encyc.  March  1830,  in  Jim.  Journal  of  Science  and  Jlrts. 


There  are  two  newspapers  now  published  in  liberated  Greece, 
which  exert  considerable  influence,  although  neither  has  a numer- 
ous subscription.  One  is  in  the  Greek  language,  the  other  in  the 
French.  The  former,  called  “The  National  Journal,”  is  the  organ 
of  government:  it  is  printed  twice  a week,  and  costs  six  Spanish 
dollars.  The  latter,  entitled  “The  Oriental  Courier,”  is  issued 
only  once  a week,  and  is  professedly  devoted  to  politics,  com- 
merce, and  literature. 

Three  newspapers,  in  the  modern  Greek  language,  were  pub- 
lished in  Austrian  Vienna,  before  the  revolution; — one  for  politics, 
called  the  “Greek  Telegraph;”  the  other  two  devoted  to  literature, 
and  entitled  the  “Literary  Mercury”  and  the  “Literary  Tele- 
graph.” The  Mercury  was  begun  in  1811,  the  Telegraph  some- 
what later.  I do  not  know  at  what  time  the  political  paper  was 
commenced.  The  editor  of  the  Mercury  understood  English,  and 
borrowed  from  the  rich  stores  of  that  language  for  the  benefit  of 
his  countrymen.  Mr.  Jowett  saw,  when  in  the  island  of  Scio,  an 
entire  gazette  occupied  by  an  abstract  of  a Report  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  See  his  Researches  in  the  Mediterra~ 
nean,  pp.  71,  72. 

Among  the  newspapers,  which  appeared  in  Greece  during  the 
revolutionary  struggle,  were  the  following: — the  “Ephemerides  of 
Athens,”  edited  by  M.  Psillas — the  “Friend  of  the  Laws,”  edited 
by  M.  Chiappa,  an  Italian,  at  Hydra — the  “Greek  Chronicle,” 
edited  by  Dr.  Meyer,  a German,  at  Mesolongi — and  the  “Greek 
Telegraph,”  printed  at  the  same  place,  under  the  auspices  of  Lord 
Byron.  Count  Pecchio  says,  the  Hydriote  paper  had  only  two 
hundred  subscribers,  and  the  Athenian  paper  a less  number. 


The  reader  will  recollect,  that  an  hour , when  employed  to 
measure  distance  in  the  east,  is  usually  equivalent  to  about  three 
miles.  Along  the  northern  shore  of  the  Peloponnesus,  we  trav- 
elled not  more  than  two  and  a half  miles  an  hour,  being  encum- 
bered with  baggage.  In  the  other  parts  of  our  route,  we  aver- 


this  desirable  object  can 


Europe,  in  delivering 


GREEK  NEWSPAPERS. 


ITINERARY  IN  THE  PELOPONNESUS. 


ITINERARY  IN  THE  PELOPONNESUS. 


333 


aged  just  about  three.  The  time  mentioned  in  this  itinerary  is, 
in  every  case,  that  which  we  employed  in  travelling  on  the  road. 
The  time  spent  in  resting  is  not  reckoned. 

April  16.  We  were  eight  hours  and  thirty  minutes  from  Cla- 
rentsa  to  Ali  Chelebi. 

April  17.  From  Ali  Chelebi  to  Patras,  ten  hours  and  ten 
minutes. 

April  20.  On  the  road  to  Corinth.  Commenced  riding  at  6.50 
A.  M.;  at  10,  south  of  Lepanto;  10.30  A.  M.  crossed  the  Drepa- 
num;  distance  from  Patras  to  Bostitsa,  ten  hours  and  ten 
minutes. 

April  21.  Left  Bostitsa  6.45  A.  M.;  at  9.40  A.  M.  crossed 
river  of  Calabryta;  rode  ten  hours  and  three-fourths. 

April  22.  Started  4.55;  passed  Xylocastron  at  7 A.  M.;  en- 
tered Corinth  at  4.15  P.  M.;  distance  from  Bostitsa  to  Corinth 
nineteen  hours. 

April  24.  Distance  from  Corinth  to  Basilicon  three  hours  and 
a quarter. 

April  27.  From  Corinth  to  Nemea  four  hours  and  twenty 
minutes. 

May  7.  From  Hermione  to  Cranidi  one  hour  and  forty  minutes. 
From  Cranidi  to  Porto  Cheli  one  hour  and  a half. 

May  26.  Left  Epidaurus  5.45  A.  M.  Lodged  under  the  walls 
of  the  Palamedi,  at  Nauplion. 

May  29.  One  hour  from  Nauplion  to  Tiryns.  From  Tiryns 
to  Argos  one  hour  and  a quarter. 

May  30.  From  Argos  to  Mycenae  two  hours. 

June  1.  From  Argos  to  the  fountain  of  the  Erasinus  one 
hour  and  ten  minutes;  from  thence  to  Lerna  about  an  hour;  from 
Argos  to  Tripolitsa,  by  the  way  of  Achadocampon,  about  ten 
hours. 

June  3.  Road  from  Tripolitsa  to  Calabryta.  From  Tripolitsa 
to  the  ruins  of  Mantinea  about  two  hours  and  a half.  From 
Mantinea  to  Orchomenus  three  hours  and  twenty-five  minutes. 

June  4.  From  Orchomenus  to  the  plain  of  Dara  two  hours 
and  three-fourths;  from  the  commencement  of  the  plain  to  our 
encampment  at  Knophta  five  hours. 

June  5.  From  Knophta  to  the  head  of  the  plain  of  Catsanes 
four  hours;  from  thence  to  the  elevated  plain  of  Soudena  one 
hour  and  a half;  to  Calabryta  two  hours  and  ten  minutes. 

June  6.  From  Calabryta  to  Megaspelaeon  about  two  hours  and 
three-fourths. 

June  8.  From  Calabryta  to  the  top  of  mount  Erymanthus, 
on  the  road  to  Lala,  three  hours  and  fifty-five  minutes. 

June  8,  9 and  10.  Distance  from  Calabryta  to  Lala  about  fif- 
teen hours  and  three-fourths. 

June  10.  From  Lala  to  Olympia  about  three  hours. 

June  11, 12  and  13.  From  Olympia  on  the  road  to  Demetsana. 
From  the  centre  of  the  plain  to  the  junction  of  the  Dogana,  or 
Erymanthus,  with  the  Alpheus  four  hours  and  fifty-five  minutes; 
from  thence  to  the  junction  of  the  Ladon  and  Alpheus  fifty-five 
minutes.  Whole  distance  to  Demetsana,  on  our  route,  which 
was  rather  circuitous,  sixteen  hours  and  twenty-five  minutes. 


334 


ITINERARY  IN  THE  PELOPONNESUS 


June  15.  From  Demetsana  to  Carytaena  four  hours  and  three- 
fourths. 

June  16,  17  and  18.  I compute  the  distance  from  Carytaena 
to  Arkadia  to  be  between  sixteen  and  seventeen  hours. 

June  18.  From  Arkadia  to  Philiatra  three  hours  and  ten 
minutes. 

June  19.  From  Philiatra  to  Navarino,  situated  on  the  south- 
ern side  of  the  harbor,  is  about  nine  hours. 

June  22.  From  Navarino  to  Mothone  two  hours  and  ten 
minutes. 

June  23.  From  Mothone  to  Corone  six  hours. 

June  24  and  25.  The  road  from  Corone  to  Calamata,  round 
the  head  of  the  gulf,  occupied  ten  or  eleven  hours. 

June  25.  From  Calamata  to  the  fountain  of  the  Pamisus  four 
hours. 

June  26.  From  the  fountain  to  the  highest  part  of  the  defile 
of  Derbenia  four  hours  and  ten  minutes;  from  thence  to  Leon- 
tari  two  hours  and  thirty-five  minutes. 

June  27.  From  Leontari  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Eurotas 
four  hours  and  three-quarters;  from  thence  to  Mistras  five  hours 
and  a quarter. 

July  1 and  2.  From  Mistras  to  Marathonesi  about  ten  hours 
and  a half. 

July  4.  We  were  about  three  hours  crossing  from  the  gulf  of 
Laconia  to  Monembasia. 


THE  END, 


THE  PUBLISHERS  OF  THIS  WORK 


Have  recently  printed  and  keep  for  sale  at  their  stores , 

47,  Washington  St.  and  182,  Broadway,  New  York , 

THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY;  stat- 
ed in  a popular  and  practical  manner,  in  a Course  of  Lec- 
tures, on  the  INTERNAL  Evidences  of  the  Christian 
Religion,  delivered  in  the  Parish  Church  of  St.  Mary, 
Islington.  By  Rev.  Daniel  Wilson,  A.  M.  Vol.  II. 

sC“P  Those  who  have  procured  the  First  Volume  of  the 
Evidences,  on  the  Authenticity , Credibility , Divine  Au- 
thority, and  Inspiration  of  the  New  Testament , are  re- 
quested to  complete  their  sets , as  soon  as  possible.  Orders 
for  complete  Sets  will  receive  immediate  attention. 

In  commendation  of  the  First  Volume , on  the  External 
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"We  have  great  pleasure  in  calling  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  this 
unpretending  and  very  useful  volume.  The  author  makes  no  claim  to 
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men  unfortunately  differ,  and  devoting  so  large  a portion  of  his  time  and 
study  to  the  fundamental  truths  of  religion.” 

WILBERFORCE’S  PRACTICAL  VIEW  OF 
CHRISTIANITY.  A Practical  View  of  the  Prevail- 
ing Religious  System  of  Professed  Christians,  in  the  higher 
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our  warmest  thanks.” — Christian  Observer  Review. 

CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES  IN  SYRIA  AND 
THE  HOLY  LAND,  in  1823  &.  1824;  in  furtherance 
of  the  objects  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  By  Rev. 
William  Jowett,  M.  A.  one  of  the  Representatives  of 
the  Society,  and  late  Fellow  of  St.  John’s  College,  Cam- 
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Joseph  Greaves,  on  a visit  to  the  Regency  of  Tunis. 


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DR.  GRIFFIN’S  LECTURES— Cheap  Edition. 
A SERIES  OF  LECTURES,  delivered  in  Park  Street 
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CHRISTIAN  CHARITY  EXPLAINED,  or  the 
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